I Just Know Who
by xxxdolphinmelodyxxx
Summary: Part 1 of the Doctor & Clara's story: He suffered losses which hurt him but when he met Clara, she helped him move on. With her, he managed to take control of his life and live the way he'd always dreamt of. With her, he was happy again. Now they travel together but are followed by many mysteries surrounding Clara and another woman with many names. Will they figure it out in time?
1. The Library

Chapter 1: The Library

The Doctor was going about his usual business, ripping apart the wires of his TARDIS and attempting to improve it. It never made any difference; it just gave him something to do while Amy and Rory were asleep. Of course, when they were awake, he got the opportunity to talk to them, one of the main highlights of his day.

That day, he and Amy were engrossed in a deep chit-chat about everything and nothing while Rory was surfing the TARDIS database.

"How's my daughter?" asked Amy after a while.

The Doctor smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "She's River." he answered.

"Wow…that helped!" Amy said, "Seriously, how is she? We haven't seen her for ages."

The Doctor sighed. "She's fine." he told her.

Amy couldn't help but notice his discomfort. She'd noticed it before. Every time he spoke of River, she could always see a hint of sadness in his eyes, guilt even. There was obviously something he wasn't telling her, something which more than likely was connected to River.

"So, can we go somewhere?" asked Amy in attempt to change the conversation.

The Doctor rolled his eyes and leapt up onto his feet. He ran up to the main console with a big smile on his face and swiftly worked around Rory who was deeply immersed in the information on the screen in front of him.

"Right." began the Doctor, "Where do you wanna go? The Third Moon of the Magnatta System? The Copper Beaches of Tsunkatie? Oh, what about the Smiling Nebula? Beautiful place!"

Amy's smile had grown during his little speech. She loved it when he began to get excited for a new adventure. He was like a child on Christmas morning.

"Tunkatie?" asked Amy.

"Close enough." stated the Doctor, "Is that where you want to go?"

Rory, who was still looking through the database, suddenly halted scrolling down the screen as something that caught his eye.

"Doctor, what's 'The Library'?" asked Rory.

The Doctor's snapped his head towards Rory. "Its nothing." he answered abruptly.

Amy frowned. "That reaction suggests otherwise." she said, "What is it Doctor?"

The Doctor danced his fingers faster over the console in attempt to look busy.

"It's a Library." he answered, "It's in the name."

The fact that he refused to make eye contact with either of them confirmed to Amy that it was something more.

"Yeah." agreed Amy, "But what is it to you?"

The Doctor quickly looked up before returning to messing with the console.

"It's a Library." he repeated, "Just a Library."

"Well," began Rory who was reading through its file, "According to this: _It's the biggest Library in the Universe, so big it doesn't need a name. It was built by the Lux Family and contains any and every book in the universe. It also contains the biggest computer in the universe which is the core of the planet. Condition: Dangerous. Colour status: Mauve…"_

"Enough!" cried the Doctor, "It's just a planet which is a giant Library, Happy now?!"

Amy was quite taken aback with his outburst. It wasn't like the Doctor to be so uptight when they were asking him about something.

"Doctor…" said Amy.

The Doctor sighed and flopped down onto the chair behind him.

"Sorry…" he apologised as he rubbed his head.

Rory looked over at him. Even he could see that something was wrong.

Amy slowly approached the Doctor and knelt down at his feet. When she put her hand on his knee and he lifted his head, she could have sworn he was about to cry.

"Doctor, what is it?" she asked.

"It's the Lib…" he began.

"What is it to you?" she interrupted.

The Doctor broke away from her gaze and sighed. "It's a place where I lost someone." he revealed, "Someone special."

Amy smiled weakly. "I'm sorry."

The Doctor shook his head. "It was a long time ago." he informed them before leaping to his feet once again, "So, where do you wanna go?"

Amy shrugged her shoulders. "Wherever." she answered.

The Doctor pulled the lever down and began to laugh as the TARDIS rattled and shook as it ripped through the Time Vortex. However, the journey became a lot more turbulent than expected and began to toss them between the console and the rails.

It came to a full stop a few seconds later. Amy and Rory were all ready for a new adventure which to be honest, so was the Doctor. However, his mood changed as soon as he saw the location of where they had landed.

"What…?" he cried.

"Doctor?" asked Amy.

"WHAT?!" he screamed once again.

"Doctor, what is it?" asked Rory.

"Oh, no no, no, no, no…" he muttered as he began to zoom around the console.

"Doctor, what's wrong?" questioned Amy, starting to get slightly worried.

He frantically began to pull on the levers yet the TARDIS remained exactly where it was.

"Doctor, where are we?" asked Rory.

"We're in the Library…" he said.

x-[]-x

It took him almost ten minutes of meddling before he finally gave in trying to leave. Whatever the reason was, the TARDIS just didn't want to move.

"Why don't we go out?" suggested Amy, "See if whatever's stopping the TARDIS is outside?"

"No!" exclaimed the Doctor, "Absolutely not."

Rory frowned. "Why?" he asked.

"Because it's dangerous out there." the Doctor informed them.

Amy scoffed. "What's dangerous in a Library?" she asked.

"The dark." replied the Doctor.

Amy sniggered. "You're joking, right?"

"Do I look like I'm joking?" he asked quite sternly.

Rory daren't speak after that. Whatever was out there, the Doctor definitely didn't want them to be at its mercy.

"_So you're here?" _asked a voice on the screen.

The Doctor ran up to it, quickly followed by Amy and Rory. They were amazed to see who they saw, but the Doctor wasn't.

"River…" he stated.

"_Hello Sweetie." _she greeted.

"You look well." he told her, his voice all soft and calm.

"_I'm a computer program." _she said, _"I always look well."_

Amy frowned. "Sorry, what?!" she cried, "What do you mean you're a computer program?"

River bit her lip and smiled. _"Spoilers." she told them._

Her attention then returned to her husband... although, he didn't know that yet.

"_The shadows are dormant." _she told him, "_You can come down to the core for a few minutes if you want."_

The Doctor smiled. "A few minutes." he agreed, "That's all."

River smiled. _"I'll be waiting." _she told him before her image ended abruptly.

He darted down to the door followed by his two trusted companions. Just as he was about to open the door, he suddenly stopped and spun around to them.

"Right, you have to remember this." he told them, "You're lives will depend on this. Stay in the light. Stay out of the shadows and do **not** let your shadows cross."

"What?" asked Amy.

"Remember that and you'll be fine." he said.

x-[]-x

It took them less than two minutes to reach the core. He released the seal he set the last time he was there for enough time to let them through before re-sealing it.

The place was just as he remembered it, all cold, spooky and old. The wood was rotting and now the metal was beginning to rust.

"What is this place?" asked Amy as she looked up to the core which looked like a small burning star.

"This is the core." he said as he opened up the unit that contained the main command node, "And this is… either CAL or River."

Rory frowned. All there was some sort of podium that had a small headrest which was slowly turning to face them.

"Oh my God!" cried Amy.

She couldn't believe what she was seeing. The top of the podium had turned and revealed River's face on it.

"Hello Sweetie." she greeted, "Mum, Dad."

"Okay Doctor." began Amy, not taking her eyes off River's face, "Explain, Right now."

The Doctor gulped. "River's conciseness lives in the core. Her body was destroyed the first time I met her… which was here."

River smiled. "You had a different face back then." she remembered, "And a fabulous blue suit."

"Blue?" asked Amy.

"No bowtie though." continued River.

The Doctor straightened it and smiled.

"See?" said the Doctor with a smile, "Bowties are cool."

Suddenly, River's face straightened and she began to speak as if she were a computer, well, technically she was.

"The shadows are moving. You must leave."

The Doctor gulped. "Rory, take this." he said throwing his screwdriver to him, "Get back to the TARDIS."

Rory caught the device and began to usher Amy away.

"Doctor, what about you?" asked Amy.

"I'm right behind you." said the Doctor, "Just give me a minute with River. Alone."

Once Amy and Rory had left, the Doctor looked up at her River's face on the podium.

"Look at you." he said, running his hand down her face.

"I'm a face on a statue." she said bluntly.

The Doctor smiled weakly. "How's life in there?"

River smiled. "Pretty good." she answered, "Turns out life in here isn't that bad. I've got my friends: Anita, Miss Evangelista, Dave and Other Dave…"

"I remember them." said the Doctor.

"… and my children." finished River.

The Doctor frowned but it soon faded into a small smile. "Children?" he asked.

River winked. "Well, there's Charlotte obviously." began River, "Then there's my son… John. I named him after my husband."

The Doctor frowned. "Husband?" he questioned.

River grinned. "Spoilers." she stated, "And then there's my daughter… Amelia."

The Doctor smiled slightly.

"I named her after my mother." finished River.

The Doctor's smile expanded. Although she was physically dead, River was still living in her own little paradise… living the life he had always wanted but could never have.

"It's a good life?" he asked after a moment.

"Yes." confirmed River, "It's everything I never realised I wanted."

"Good." said the Doctor, "I better get going."

"Okay… bye sweetie." she said, "Will I ever see you again?"

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno… maybe." he answered, "Bye River."


	2. Soufflé Girl

Chapter 2: Soufflé Girl

It had been months since his wedding… and death. He had actually found life was now pretty uneventful. After all, the entire universe, barring River and more than likely Amy and Rory, thought he was dead.

He had just sat down in a quaint coffee shop somewhere on Earth and was building up to eating his scone. The butter and jam was all ready and screaming at him to take a bite.

_Don't mind if I do… _he thought to himself.

He picked it up and brought it to his lips. It smelt gloriously sweet and he was ready to enjoy it. However, he couldn't help but notice something, a figure in the corner of his eye.

He turned with his mouth still wide open and stared at it. Only he could see him, all the others around him were completely oblivious to his presence.

Suddenly, the scone didn't seem that appealing so he slowly placed it back down onto the plate. The figure had no visible face yet he knew his was staring at him. Not a nice thought when you're trying to eat in peace.

The Doctor looked away for a split second, which is the time in took the figure to move to the seat opposite him. His lips tightened and he frowned slightly. The stranger had an all too familiar likeness to the headless monks.

"I don't think I asked you to sit." said The Doctor.

"There is a woman who wants to meet you." stated the stranger, his voice deep and eerie.

"That's nice." started The Doctor, "But I'm married."

"You're _help _is required." continued the Stranger.

"I don't discuss my business in public." he told him.

"I know." admitted the Stranger, and with a flick of his hand, the people in the café disappeared.

The Doctor sighed and moved closer to him. "Who are you?" he questioned.

"A messenger." he answered.

"Whose messenger?" interrogated the Doctor.

"Darla von Karlsen's." replied the figure.

The Doctor sniggered and shrugged his shoulders. "Never heard of her." he stated before swiftly rising to his feet.

x-[]-x

Turns out, Darla von Karlsen was just an unfortunate person who had been destroyed by The Dalek's. Her soul had been carved out and her body was just a puppet, all her cells re-written and under the control of the Daleks.

Now, thanks to her, he found himself in the world place in the universe, The Parliament of The Daleks. He, Amy and Rory had been captured and now were about to suffer the worst fate, death at the Daleks' hands. The room was filled with millions of them, all primed and more than capable of killing them like flies. There they were, sitting like ducks, nothing but target practice to the great space killing machines. Maybe it was a game, see which one of them could shoot and kill him first?

The Doctor was trying to put a brave face on but truthfully, he was terrified. He had managed to defeat them time and time again, but he couldn't see a way out this time. This was it. He was going to die… and he'd brought Amy and Rory to the front line with him.

"Well come on then." he cried, "You've got me! What are you waiting for? At long last, it's Christmas! Here I am!"

His hands were raised to signal surrender and he shut his eyes tightly. He had seconds, if that. It's funny, but somehow he was at peace. He figured that when you accept it's the end, you find a level of peace so you're death won't seem to be that bad...

They were taking their time. Maybe they were going to see how long he could last… see if they could get him beg for them to exterminate him.

"You will save us." one of them said, breaking through the silence of the room.

The Doctor's eyes shot open and he spun around on his heels. Had he heard that right?!

"I'll what?" he asked in a state of shock.

"You will save the Daleks." repeated the same one.

Amy and Rory were just as shocked, especially when the entire room started to grow in volume as all the Daleks began to chant in unison: Save the Daleks.

"Well, this is new." stated The Doctor.

x-[]-x

When the vessel reached The Dalek Asylum, a planet filled with all the insane Daleks in the universe, the Darla von Karlsen puppet began to explain to them about a signal which had been received from it.

The Doctor smiled when he heard Bizet's Oiseau Rebelle play.

"What is that noise?" asked the Supreme Dalek, "Explain! Explain!"

"It's... me." answered the Doctor.

"Sorry what?!" cried Rory.

"It's me… Playing the triangle." said The Doctor, "Okay, I got buried in the mix. Carmen! Lovely show, someone's transmitting this. Have you considered tracking back the signal and talking to them?"

The silence in the room grew increasingly thick ever so quickly.

"He asked the Daleks…" he continued.

The Doctor began to mess with the console in order to back track the signal.

"Hello? Hello, Carmen?" he began, "Hello? Come in, come in, come in, Carmen."

"Hello, yes, yes, sorry, do you read me?!" answered a very sweet voice.

"Yes, reading you loud and clear." replied the Doctor, "Identify yourself and report your status."

"Hello!" the woman repeated, "Are you real? Are you actually, properly real?"

"Yep, confirmed, actually properly real." answered The Doctor.

"Oswin Oswald, Junior Entertainment Manager, Starship Alaska. Current status – crashed and shipwrecked somewhere… not nice." she told him, "Been here a year, rest of the crew missing. Provisions good, but keen to move on."

"A year?" asked the Doctor, "Are you OK, are you… under attack?"

Oswin sighed. "Some local life-forms, I've been keeping them out."

"Do you know what those life-forms are?" questioned The Doctor.

"I know a Dalek when I hear one, yeah." she confirmed.

"What have been doing, _on your own_, against the Daleks _for a year_?!" he asked.

"Making soufflés..." she told him, feeling a bit silly as she said it.

"_Soufflés_?" he asked with a smile, "Against the Daleks?"

Amy looked around at the Daleks while the Doctor continued his conversation. Their eyestalks were all directed at the Doctor, and so where their weapons. Whatever their plans were, she really wished that somehow they weren't part of it...

x-[]-x

The Doctor had had a very bittersweet day. Obviously, being on a planet containing insane Daleks is enough to make anyone have a not so good day but there were good moments too. Firstly, he had met a real genius of a girl, Oswin Oswald. She was smart, easy to talk to and very flirty. He really wished he could have saved her; unfortunately, the Daleks had gotten to her first. She'd been converted to a full Dalek but thanks to her strength, she had mentally remained human and managed to save him, Amy and Rory from the Daleks.

Yes, he was quite upset that she had died but on the other hand, he praised her as she had singlehandedly made every single Dalek in the universe forget him. That was a major weight lifted off his shoulders. However, the thing that had made his day most of all was the fact Amy and Rory had made up so when he dropped them off at home, he had left on real high. Nothing was going to bring him down and all thanks to Soufflé Girl… _his _Soufflé Girl.


	3. Letting Go

Chapter 3: Letting Go

They were all gone now, Amy, Rory and River. Amy and Rory were dead, killed at the hands of The Lonely Assassins, the loneliest creatures in the universe… barring him. Just the thought of it made his body flood with guilt. It was his fault… his fault that his little Amelia Pond, the girl who waited and her Rory Williams, the last Centurion were both dead… long dead by now. The fact that they lived full lives still didn't comfort him. The only reason they ended up in that situation was because of him. When he thought about it, he was just their personal Pied Piper. He lured them into fatal danger but the thing which sickened him the most was this: He had brainwashed them into believing they enjoyed it. Who could enjoy a life in constant danger and trust a man like _him_?

Then there was River. She was gone too, gone to write the book which caused the entire thing to happen. He deeply regretted finding that book but if he hadn't, the book would never have been written… an endless paradox.

He really needed to speak to her, well, he really wanted to speak to her. Unfortunately, he had no idea where she was. She was probably parading around the galaxy having adventures with the younger version of him… and Amy. However, despite this, there was one place in the universe he could go and speak to her…

x-[]-x

"_Mummy?" asked Amelia, "Can Anita put us to bed tonight?"_

_River smiled and looked over at her friend sat on her other sofa._

"_Do you mind?" she asked her._

_Anita shook her head and smiled as she stood up. "Of course not." she said, "Come on then you three, up to bed."_

_River smiled as she saw the four of them climb the stairs as if it were a mountain. It had been almost six years since she first came to the Library yet the children hadn't grown an inch... Then again, none of them had. That was the joy of being a string of numbers in a computer's memory._

"_Coffee?" asked Dave as he popped his head around the door._

"_No thanks." replied River, rubbing her forehead._

"_Ok." he acknowledged, "Other Dave? Missy?"_

_Other Dave shook his head. "No, ta." he replied._

"_Missy?" Dave asked once again._

"_Yes please." replied Miss Evangelista, "Actually no… I should be getting back home. It's getting late."_

"_Suit yourself." he replied with a smile before continuing on his way to the kitchen._

_Missy's attention then turned to River who was dosing off on the sofa._

"_River?" she asked as she stood up._

_She sighed and rubbed her forehead as she jolted awake._

"_Like I said, it's getting late." repeated Missy, "Go to bed."_

_River sighed once again. "You lot wouldn't mind, would you?" she asked_

"_Course not." replied Other Dave, "Besides; I should be getting home too."_

"_You both live next door." she reminded them, "And there's nothing dangerous out there."_

"_Yeah." agreed Other Dave, "But you'll be dangerous if you don't get to sleep soon."_

_River scowled and stood up before letting her smile return. It was amazing how real she felt even though it wasn't her real body. Ever since Charlotte's memory space was emptied, she had updated the program to be exactly like real life. They all could still eat, drink and sleep like normal, do everything except die. _

"_Night all." she said before heading up to bed._

_She took a quick peek into the children's room before she went to bed. They were all falling asleep as Anita was reading a book to them. No matter how much she wished The Doctor could be with her and the children living the life he could never have, she appreciated that he allowed her to have this life. Like she had told him before, it was everything she never realized she wanted._

x-[]-x

The Doctor was struggling to deal with the silence in the TARDIS. All that could be heard was the machine as it swam through the Time Vortex. There were no side comments or little chats between Amy or Rory, no banter with River, not even a song playing from down the corridor which was a usual noise when Amy decided to remove herself from the control room for a bit.

When the TARDIS landed, he made sure the seal he had just broken through was still intact. It took him a few moments to compose himself before he slowly headed to the door. He was unsure whether to go and see her or not but at that time, he just wanted someone to speak to. She was the only person he had left, and even she wasn't fully there anymore.

x-[]-x

_She couldn't exactly understand what she was dreaming about; she just knew it was making her happy. However, it didn't last long as a few moments later; a piercing siren brought her dreams to a sudden halt._

_She shot up in her bed and looked towards the now blood red sky. The darkness had been replaced with the deadly __colour__ and that was making her computer generated heart beat twice as fast as it should have been. _

_Her fear was cut through when she heard Charlotte scream from the next room. She jolted out of bed and ran to her. She was petrified that the Vashta Nerada had somehow broken into their little world. If that were true, they wouldn't exist much longer..._

"_Charlotte?!" she cried._

_Charlotte, who was standing in the centre of the room, suddenly fell to the floor._

"_Charlotte?!" she cried once again as she knelt down next to her, "What's happening?"_

"_The control room has been breeched." she recited, "Something had gotten inside."_

_River quickly ran down the stairs and into the kitchen. She hit the counter quite hard which revealed a console which linked her to the control room. She felt a wave of relief when she saw who the 'something' was… _

x-[]-x

The Doctor began to initiate the program and opened the locker which contained the main command node. He smiled slightly when he saw the head rotate to reveal River's face. Her eyes were still closed but seconds later they bolted open.

"What the hell do you think you're playing at?!" she cried, "If I were real, I would have just died of a heart attack!"

The Doctor gulped and looked away as he heard the word 'died'. That seemed to be a common occurrence lately.

"Sorry." he apologised.

River noticed his discomfort and softened her voice.

"Where are you?" she asked.

The Doctor swallowed his initial words.

"Doctor, where are you?" she asked once again.

He sighed and let a single tear escape his eye. "Amy and Rory are dead." his voice betraying him at the last moment.

"Oh... I'm sorry sweetie." she began, "And I don't mean to be insensitive, I really don't… but what are you doing here?"

The Doctor smiled weakly. "I needed a friend." he admitted, "I needed to talk to someone."

"You have more than one friend." she said, "Why have you come _here_?"

The Doctor sighed. "You're my last connection to them." he told her, "I just wanted to see you."

River bit her lip while the Doctor leant back on the dead console behind him.

"What do I do River?" he asked, "What do I do now?"

River had one idea. It killed her to think it but it would be better to say it now, let the Doctor mourn all at once.

River gulped and tried to find the strength inside her to say it.

"Let go." she told him.

The Doctor frowned and looked up at her. "What?" he asked.

River composed herself once again. "Let go of me," she repeated, "And move on."

The Doctor felt his hearts break a little more. "How…" he attempted, "How can you say that? River… can't you see how much this is hurting me?! I've just lost the other two best people in my life! I can't, no, I won't lose you too!"

"But I can't be with you anymore." she reminded him.

"I don't care!" he cried, "I'm not losing you!"

"Sweetie…" she sighed, "Everything must come to an end. You taught me that."

The Doctor shook his head and let the damns in his eyes break. "I can't…" he sobbed.

"You have too." she whispered, the words eating at her insides, "You've already said goodbye to two of the Ponds. Make it three."

"No… I can't…" he attempted but his voice failed him.

"Please…" she begged, "Go into the TARDIS and fly away. Never come back. Move on with your wonderful life, and let me move on with mine in here."

The Doctor gulped as he ingested her words.

"Find someone else to share that life of yours with." she continued, "Open yourself up to new friendships and maybe… lovers. I can't be yours anymore."

Tears began to run down River's face while The Doctor hopelessly tried to pull himself together.

"I'll make you a deal." he bargained, "A promise for a promise?"

"What?" questioned River.

"I'll try and move on and never come back." he told her, "If you promise to get yourself a new husband in there. Get Charlotte to program you a new man."

River frowned. "Why?" she asked.

"I need to know you'll be okay." he said, "Know that you'll be loved by someone at least half as much as I do…"

"Okay…" she managed to whisper as her lip began to quiver uncontrollably.

The Doctor sighed. "Goodbye River."

River smiled weakly. "Goodbye sweetie." she replied, "Go and run as fast as you can, and do one thing for me."

He nodded. "Anything." he replied.

She sighed. "Remember me." she told him.

He rubbed his drenched eyes and held his hands just under his mouth, as if he was praying.

"Always." he answered.

River smiled and let her final tear run down her cheek. "Then my work here's done…"

_As her access with the node ended, River found herself back in her kitchen. Her whole body collapses into a mess on the floor and she began to weep uncontrollably._

"_Mommy?" asked Charlotte as she ran over and hugged her, "What's wrong?"_

_River looked up at the little girl. "I'm letting go…" she answered quietly, "And I'll tell you this Charlotte, no matter how hard it is to admit, it's never easy."_

"_When you say 'letting go'," started Charlotte, "Do you mean The Doctor?"_

_River nodded and broke down into the little girl's arms. That was it now, after all this time, that was her final meeting with her Doctor. Now, it was time to let go…_


	4. Giving In

Chapter 4: Giving In

He'd been on the cloud for what seemed like forever, lost in his dark and lonely thoughts. All the guilt seemed to be eating away at his mind, leaving him feeling emptier than he already did. Even the TARDIS was different now. He had to change the old model after he said goodbye to River. All the old colours were too happy, and it contained all the memories of when he was with them… The first time Amy saw the TARDIS, the time when River first arrived and began to show off her piloting skills, the time when Amy and Rory decided to come away with him on their wedding night… too many memories to come back and haunt him.

He was on his last straw. Truth of the matter was that he actually didn't care anymore, not about anything. After one thousand years of saving the universe, he finally understood this: The universe doesn't care.

He'd been down to Earth a couple of times but didn't interfere anymore, didn't investigate. He couldn't. He knew if he did, he'd more than likely drag another innocent soul into his life, and more than likely destroy them too…

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

His trail of thought was suddenly interrupted by the sound of knocking which echoed throughout the entire control room. He was on a cloud... How was that even possible?!

He swiftly made his way over to the door, opened it and stuck his head out. He looked around at the darkness surrounding him. He couldn't actually see anyone but he had the strangest of feelings that there was something, or someone, to his left.

"Hello?" he called.

When he got no response, he looked around once again. He was sure his mind hadn't conjured it up, he was certain he had heard a knock. He took one large stride out of the door. In a split second he could have sworn he heard a noise, like a muffled breath, right next to the TARDIS.

"Hello?" he asked once again.

He began to slowly search around the outside of the TARDIS. Maybe something was there… then again; maybe he was just a madman who was hearing things…

"Hello?" he called when he was half way round.

Still nothing.

When he completed his way around his blue box, his attention was drawn to the faint sound of footsteps, footsteps that seemed to be getting fainter and fainter until they faded into silence. That's when he saw it, a lump of fabric, a lump of soft red fabric scattered on the cloud right next to the mouth of the staircase.

He darted over and picked it up. It seemed all too familiar… He brought it to his nose and smelt it. He knew that smell too, he knew that smell all too well. It was hers; she'd been up on his cloud, the only girl out of the entire city who it could have possibly been: Clara.

"Oh, no." he whispered to himself.

He remembered back to the first time he met her. He never wanted to speak to her; in fact, he was actually on his way back to the TARDIS at the time. She just had to speak to him. She just had to say hello and cross her perfectly innocent timeline with his. Of all people she could have met, she had to go and meet him…

"_Did you make this snowman?" she had asked with her sweet little Cockney accent._

"_No." he replied much more harshly than he intended._

_In actual fact, he was just trying to get away from her before their meeting advanced further._

"_Well, who did?" she questioned, "Cuz it wasn't there a sec'nd ago. It just appeared, from nowhere."_

And that was it. Snap… their timelines had collided. She didn't even know it then, but her life was never going to be the same…

_The Doctor slowly turned on his heels and approached her. He just couldn't help himself, no matter how hard he tried. He snapped on a pair of really old fashioned circular glasses and looked down at her. She wasn't a bad looking girl to say the least, but at that moment in time, his mind wasn't processing anything but the fact he was mourning and he seriously didn't want to be there._

_He then turned to face the snowman. It was a tall thing, probably a third of a foot taller than Clara, and it had strange black eyes and unusual pointy looking teeth. He began to feel the snow which soon melted on his fingertips, completely numbing the ends._

"_Maybe its snow that fell before." he suggested, "Maybe it remembers how to make snowmen."_

_Clara raised her eyebrow slightly. "What?" she asked, "Snow that can remember? That's silly."_

_The Doctor turned as she spoke. "What's wrong with silly?" he questioned._

_Clara shrugged her shoulders. "Nothin', still talking to you, inn't I?" she said with a very cheeky smile painted on her face._

_The Doctor smiled and removed the glasses. "What's your name?" he asked._

"_Clara." she answered._

"_Nice name… Clara." he complimented before heading off, "You should definitely keep it."_

And that was how it all started, him and Clara. She was sucked into his life because of an evil snowman… not that that bothered him.

She turned out to be a very big mystery. She was very intelligent, much further advanced for her time. Not many people could pass one of Vastra's 'one word' tests.

There was just something about her which intrigued him, possibly in more ways that one. Not only had she managed to break through his shield, but she'd interested him... to be honest, her flirting and constant banter with him probably helped.

Then there was this: she was Soufflé girl! She was the same woman who died in the Dalek Asylum months beforehand. Her voice, that sweet and beautiful voice, it was the _same_ voice. He was sure of it.

His theory was backed up when he went to her gravestone. Yes, she'd died and that had upset him, but seeing her name written on that stone gave him great hope. Her name: Clara Oswin Oswald, it was proof she was still out there. Somewhere, she was still alive, well and breathing. Somewhere out there, he was going to find her, and he knew he was going to find her. She was impossible, brilliant and impressive. She impressed him the first time they properly spoke after their initial meeting.

"_You're still not trying to run." he said in a state of amazement._

"_Why would I run?" she asked him with her adorable smile._

Yes, he definitely found her impressive. Not many people would attempt to keep up with his questions and mind boggling answers, and then return the favour with questions and well thought out answers.

"_Clara who?" he asked_

"_Doctor who?" she asked_

"_Ooh, dangerous question." he told her._

"_What's wrong with dangerous?" she questioned almost instantaneously._

Amazing! It was that amazing, impossible, impressive and adorable girl that was giving him a reason to live again. After loosing Amy and Rory, and then River, he never thought he could feel that way for someone again, but for some reason he was drawn to her. He doesn't offer a TARDIS key to just _anyone…_

"_You're nearly a foot taller than I am." she stated._

_He lifted his head and turned to face her. There was that wonderful brain of hers at work again._

"_You could of reach the ladder without this." she continued, referring to the umbrella in her left hand, "You took it… for me."_

_She threw it to him. "Why?"_

_The Doctor caught it and let his smile grow. He slowly approached her and looked deep into her eyes, those beautifully bold brown eyes of hers._

"_I never know why." he began her, reaching into his back pocket, "I only know __**who**__."_

_That was when he revealed the key, that small simple silver key which opened up the entire universe to her. He placed it delicately into her hand and closed her hand around it. That key, it was hers…_

"_What's this?" she questioned as her eyes began to tear up._

"_Me." smiled The Doctor, "Giving in."_

Even when she was dying, lying in that cold room on that horrid wooden table, he still knew she was the one he wanted to travel with. It was strange. He had the strongest feeling she was going to die that day, but he also had an even stronger feeling that he'd end up travelling with her, somehow…

_He rubbed her head as she lay there, the last ounce of life inside her desperately clinging on._

"_Hey…" he whispered just before she managed to open her eyes, "Hello."_

_She managed to sigh, yet the pain she felt was close to unbearable._

"_They all think I'm gonna die, don't they?"_

_He continued rubbing her head in attempt to comfort her. He'd never felt this protective over someone before._

"_And I know you're going to live." he said, hoping it was true but severely doubting it._

_She frowned slightly. "How?"_

_The Doctor reached for his inner coat pocket to retrieve the TARDIS key. "I never know how." he told her, "__**I just know who**__."_

_He once again wrapped her hand around the key. She just had to live; he couldn't lose somebody else…_

_He kissed her hands and rubbed her head again. Clara… __**his**_ _Clara…_

Okay, so he lost her, but she was still out there. He didn't know how that was possible, but he knew he was going to see her again. The same woman in two different parts of the universe, in two different time zones… of course he was going to see her again. What he felt about her was real. He was going to find her, and she was going to travel with him, him and Clara in the TARDIS, together. _She_ was the reason he wasn't giving in.


	5. Do You Know Me?

Chapter 5: Do You Know Me?

He had picked up so many traces of her, but not one of them was her. They were more like echoes, scattered throughout space and time. Whoever Clara was, her memory had certainly got around. He'd been searching for her for so long now, but he was going to find her. He was sure of it.

"Where are you Clara?" he asked to himself, searching through another set of scan results.

He was so close he could taste it. He was so close to finding her. All the echoes were fading, surely that he was going to find the real her soon…

Suddenly, exactly what he wanted to see popped up of the screen. Finally! It was her, the real her.

"Gotcha!" he cried, his smile beaming.

He swiftly flew the TARDIS through the vortex to his desired destination before grabbing his jacket which was roughly hung over the metal bar near to the door. He whipped it on and subconsciously straightened his beloved bow tie.

"Right then Clara Oswald." he said, "Time to find out who you are."

x-[]-x

The Doctor found himself at the mouth of street called 'Fata Way'. The street itself looked like any other modern street in 2013. The houses looked almost identical to one another, the only difference being the handful of cars parked outside. A rare glow from the Sun was shining and reflecting off the windows and cars on the left-hand side of the street while the other side was hidden by a blanket of darkness. However, it still felt warm so the shade came as a relief as he left the TARDIS and began to make his way up the road.

When he got to the end of the road, he found himself at a rather overgrown cemetery, one he recognised but he couldn't remember where from. He wasn't sure why, but he felt an impulse to enter it and look around. The positions of the graves seemed familiar yet he still couldn't tell why. He continued to clamber over the overgrown patches of grass deeper into the graveyard. That's when he saw it, the grave of Clara from the 1890s.

His shoulders dropped out of disappointment. Was this what he had detected, just another echo?

He crouched down and ran his finger over the letters on the headstone, hoping somehow it would lead him to her.

"Oh Clara…" he sighed, "Where are you?"

He rose back up to his feet and sighed. He was just about to turn around and head back to the TARDIS when his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone approaching him from behind.

"GET DOWN!" the stranger yelled.

He quickly complied and was narrowly missed by a laser disruptor. He turned while still on the floor to see a young woman with her back to him. She quickly swiped out an unearthly weapon from her black satchel and shot the tree above the place where the initial blast come from, scaring whatever shot at him away.

The Doctor was amazed and left completely speechless.

"Clara?" he asked.

The young woman whipped her head around and shook her head.

"'Fraid not, mate." she replied.

His hearts dropped a little more. It was a woman, just not the one he was looking for. However, she did remind him much of Clara. Her hair was the same shade of dark brown and her eyes were a similar shape.

Whoever she was, she was obviously an off-worldly person judging by her laser technology.

She stood up and extended her hand out to him. He gratefully accepted and she assisted him to his feet. The Doctor took one quick look at her and smiled to show his appreciation. She was dressed in black jean-type trousers and an unmistakable red blouse. Her hair was tightly tied up in a ponytail and her smile matched that of Clara's.

"Thanks." he said.

She smiled. "You're welcome." she told him, "But seriously?! What the 'eck you doin' down 'ere?!"

The Doctor frowned. "Why?" he asked, "Am I not allowed to be down here for some reason?"

The woman frowned before shaking her head. "Sorry mate." she said after a moment, "I must have you confused with someone else."

"Yeah, you must." he agreed, "Who are you anyway?"

The woman smiled. "The name's Bronwin." she answered, "Bronwin Filiadeo."

"Filiadeo?" he asked, "Very… different."

Bronwin smiled. "I have very… _different_ parents." she told him.

The Doctor smiled. "Well, it's been nice to meet you, Bronwin Filiadeo." he said before beginning to leave, "Goodbye."

Bronwin smiled and began to continue on her way. "Yeah, Bye Doctor." she said.

"Bye Bron…" he began before stopping dead in his tracks.

He spun around to face her as she walked away. She did the same when she heard him suddenly stopped.

"What?" she asked, "What's wrong?"

The Doctor frowned and approached her. "How do you know my name?" he questioned.

Bronwin frowned. "I don't." she answered, "You 'aven't told me."

"I know I didn't." he assured her, "But you just called me 'Doctor'. How did you know that was my name?"

Bronwin shook her head. "I didn't say 'Doctor'." she confirmed, "I just said 'bye'."

The Doctor sighed and examined her face. He couldn't tell what she was but there was something about her which alarmed him. He could have sworn on his life that she had just said his name…

He turned away from her, his face unnerving straight and slightly alarmed. How did she know who he was?

He continued to trek over the graveyard back towards the TARDIS. Every step he took got increasingly difficult as the overgrown patches of grass that he stepped on disguised the height that his foot actually had to travel before it hit the ground. His mind kept jumping back and forth between the woman he had just met and the one he was dying to find. Both seemed to be mysteries but all he wanted was to find one of them, Clara…

As he walked, his eye was drawn to something on the other side of the sea of graves, a dark figure lurking under the trees. The Doctor stopped in his tracks and attempted to examine it closer. However, his gaze was disrupted as a young dark-haired woman crossed his eye line. It took him mere seconds for his attention to return to the figure; luckily it was just in time to see it raise some sort of weapon aimed at the young woman.

The Doctor's eye's widened in horror. Whoever she was, she was completely oblivious to whoever or whatever that thing was. Without a second thought, he began to run towards her.

"GET DOWN!" he screamed before diving towards her and completely knocking her to the ground.

"What the hell…?!" she cried before her words were interrupted by the sound of disruptor blasts literally inches above their head.

The Doctor, who was using the nearest headstone as cover, slowly looked over it to see if he recognised the figure. He knew that the headstone was not adequate protection but it seemed to do the trick in hiding them as only seconds later, the disrupted blasts ceased and silence fell upon the cemetery.

The Doctor slowly peered over the headstone and was amazed to see that the figure had disappeared.

"What the 'ell was that?!" the woman cried after her heart began to normalise.

The Doctor turned to face her at the sound of her voice. He knew that voice… he was sure of it!

"Clara…" he whispered to himself as soon as he caught a glimpse of her face.

She turned to face him and frowned. However, it quickly changed into a confused but definite smile. His hearts leapt in his chest when he got the first proper look at her. She was exactly as he remembered. Her eyes were still bright and bold and her smile hinted at the same cheekiness she showed back in the 1890s as the 'governess Clara'.

"What you lookin' at?" she asked.

The Doctor smiled before looking down at the ground. "Sorry." he apologised, "You remind me of someone, that's all."

She smiled at the strange bow tie wearing man sat inches in front of her. She struggled to put into words how he made her feel. She felt completely relaxed and happy with him yet she was sure they'd ever met before…

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" she questioned.

The Doctor looked up and shook his head. "No." he answered, "I don't suppose you do."

She frowned yet her adorable smile remained glued to her face.

"Do you know me?" she asked.

The Doctor laughed slightly and allowed himself to be taken aback by that marvellous mind of hers at work.

"What makes you think that?" he questioned in response.

"Two things." she answered, "One: You're deliberately avoiding my question by asking me a question in response and Two: We've been speaking for a least a minute now and you have haven't stopped smiling long enough to tell me your name."

The Doctor smiled at two things. One, the fact that she was definitely the Clara he was looking for and two, she could speak even quicker than he could himself. He had no idea why he liked that, it was just something else about her that impressed him.

He slowly pulled himself to his feet with the assistance of the headstone, not taking his eyes off her for a second. He subconsciously straightened his bow tie before offering his hand out to her. She gratefully accepted it and he assisted her to her feet.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm the Doctor." he replied, "And you?"

"Clara." she replied, "But you already know that, don't ya Doctor?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know." he said, "Do I?"

Clara's smile grew and they stood there for several seconds in complete silence. Their smiled both suggested they were willing to continue the conversation built up with their banter, it was just the matter of who dared to speak next.

"So _Doctor,_" began Clara, "Doctor who, exactly?"

The Doctor smiled. "That's a dangerous question." he told her, "Probably one you want to avoid."

Clara raised her eyebrow and looked directly into his eyes. "I like livin' life on the edge." she told him, "So come on, Doctor who?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Just 'The Doctor'." he replied.

"What? You're called 'The Doctor'?" she asked, "That's it?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"That's ridiculous!" she cried.

"And what's wrong with ridiculous?" he asked.

"Me apparently." she replied, "Cuz I'm still talkin' to you."

The Doctor attempted to look offended but his smile could help but break through.

"And what's wrong with me?" he asked.

"You're wearing a waistcoat and bow tie." she stated, "Do I need to go any further?"

The Doctor's smile grew yet Clara's began to shrink as her mind began to surf through her memories. It didn't take long for the Doctor to notice her change in character.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I dunno." she told him, "I just… feel like I know ya... how that's possible?"

"The world's a strange place." he said, "And the universe is even stranger."

That was when he began to walk towards the exit, glad to be getting out of the mud and horrendously long grass.

"Oi!" cried Clara, catching up to him, "Where d'ya think you're going?"

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders as they began to walk parallel to the cemetery towards a more populated part of the area.

"I don't know." he answered truthfully, "Where exactly are we?"

"Darchester." replied Clara.

"Oh Darchester…" repeated The Doctor, "And where's that then?"

Clara frowned. "Just outside of London." she replied, "Literally, drive down this road for ten minutes and you'll hit the main traffic into the city. How the 'ell can you not know where ya are?"

"Oh, I'm just a wander… can't use maps very well." he told her.

Clara rolled her eyes and laughed. "You're impossible." she told him.

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders and once again straightened his bow tie.

"Is that such a bad thing?" he questioned.

Clara shook her head. "No." she admitted, "I like impossible things."

The Doctor smiled. "So do I." he agreed, "So do I…"


	6. The RED Takeover (Part I)

Chapter 6: The RED Takeover (Part I)

They'd been walking down the street together for the past few minutes. Through that time they'd been immersed in general chit-chat and now they were right in the heart of the village.

Clara was eager to find out exactly who this 'Doctor' person was. She still didn't understand why, but she felt like she could trust him with anything…

"So, 'The Doctor' with no name," she started, "what exactly are ya doin' 'ere?"

The Doctor stopped in the middle of the grassed area right in the heart of the village. He frowned and looked around at her.

"Well, the thing is Clara. There are two things wrong with this village as far as I can see." he told her.

Clara's smile broke and she began to frown. She swiftly whipped her head from left to right and looked around her beloved little village.

"What?" she questioned, looking back at him.

"Well," began the Doctor, spinning around to re-examine his surroundings, "One: I've been to this planet numerous times and I know for a fact that this village doesn't exist…"

"Of course it exists!" objected Clara, "Where the 'ell would we be if it didn't?"

"That's yet to be determined, and two: There must be over thirty people here at the moment…"

"Yeah." agreed Clara, "So?"

The turned to her and raised his eyebrow. "So why is every single person wearing red?"

Clara's head quickly snapped away from the Doctor and she began to look around at the locals. He was right when he said every single person was dressed in red. Every single person she saw had something red on, the Carlton twins were dressed in matching rose-red coats, Mrs. Jones was dressed in an eye-catching red dress, even the Mortimer's, the local Goth family, were dressed in long red capes. That wasn't right…

Clara's frown grew.

"You hadn't noticed, had you?" questioned the Doctor.

Clara shook her head. "No…" she admitted, "No I hadn't."

The Doctor smiled and examined her clothing. "Even you are." he pointed out.

Clara immediately looked down at her legs to see she was wearing a bright red pair of jeans instead of what she believed she was wearing.

"That's weird. I thought I was wearin' me blue ones." she stated, "How come I didn't notice?"

The Doctor suddenly pulled out his sonic screwdriver and began to scan the area.

"Low level perception filter." he answered, "Or maybe you're just all thick."

He returned to look at Clara whose facial expression showed she was certainly not amused. If looks could kill, or at the very least maim, he was sure he wouldn't still be standing there.

"Okay, I'll go with the perception filter." he said with a wink.

"Yeah, you better." Clara concurred.

The Doctor took a look into the heart of his device only to find nothing of interest from his initial scan. He then peered over at Clara who was watching him with that classic smile beaming from her face.

"You didn't ask me what the filter was." the Doctor pointed out.

"Why would I?" asked Clara, "No offence, it's in the name."

The Doctor smiled before initiating another scan. Not many people would say something like that; then again, this was Clara.

"A-ha!" he cried after the scan ended, "That's not right."

Clara leapt over to him. "What's not?" she questioned, looking at the strange device in the Doctor's hand.

He looked towards her before looking back at the results displayed.

"There are hundreds of thousands of little signals being emitted… from somewhere." he told her.

"Signals to what?" she asked.

"I don't know." admitted The Doctor.

"Well, where they coming from?" asked Clara.

"I don't know." repeated The Doctor.

"Wow!" exclaimed Clara, "You're such a great help."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow. "Do I detect a hint of sarcasm, Miss Oswald?" he enquired.

Clara giggled until she realised something. "Wait a minute," she ordered, "How d'ya know my surname?"

The Doctor smiled. "I think you already know the answer to that one." he informed her.

x-[]-x

The Doctor, closely followed by Clara, was still trying to understand what all the signals were. They were sat at a picnic bench, the Doctor busy scanning and re-scanning while Clara was watching, completely amazed by how wonderful and incredibly stupid he was all at the same time.

"Ooh!" exclaimed The Doctor after a moment, "That's wasn't here a second ago."

Clara's eyes lit up. "What wasn't?" she asked.

"Ooh!" he cried once again, standing up and following the newly discovered signal.

"Doctor!" cried Clara, quickly catching up with him, "What is it?"

He suddenly halted and turned to face her, his face lit up like a child's on Christmas morning.

"No idea." he answered with a smile, "Do you wanna go and find out?"

Clara's smile expanded and she grabbed his hand as soon as he extended it. Seconds later, they were both running down the street like two excited school children, laughing the entire time. Clara couldn't remember the last time she'd had that much fun.

It didn't take them long to reach an old stone house, enclosed in big old-fashioned black rails. Clara rested upon them for a second while the Doctor searched for the gate. Once it was found, he opened it and looked over at Clara.

"You coming?" he asked.

Clara scoffed. "Absolutely!" she confirmed, "And you ain't stopping me, Chin Boy."

The Doctor's hand travelled directly to his chin and he began to rub it.

"What's wrong with my chin?" he cried as they made their way down the concrete steps.

They came to a small wooden door at the bottom of the stairs. It looked ordinary to the naked eye yet the sonic said something different. The Doctor firmly placed both hands on it and immediately smelt the wood.

"There's something hidden behind this." he said out loud.

"What is it?" questioned Clara.

The Doctor rubbed his index finger across it and tasted the residue deposited on his finger.

"I'm not sure." disclosed the Doctor, "Stand back."

The Doctor lifted his screwdriver to the lock which opened to reveal a thick black metal door hidden behind it. He attempted to open that too but it wouldn't budge.

"Oh, deadlock seal." he muttered.

Clara, who was stood half a metre behind with her arms folded, was far more interested in an eroded symbol engraved above the door. She could just about make out what looked like a pair of wings and a circle with a banner underneath. She could tell there once was letters in the banner; however, they were long gone.

"Doctor, what's that?" she asked, pointing up to it.

He saw the direction she was staring and looked up. His eyes widened and mouth opened in surprise. He knew that logo!

"Phone, quickly!" he demanded, holding his hand out.

Clara, without hesitation, reached into her pocket and retrieved her phone before handing it to him. He promptly accepted it and in a flash began to type a number before dialling.

"_Hello, this is the Unified Intelligence Taskforce. Which department do you require?"_

"Hello, It's the Doctor." he responded, "I need to get into your Darchester Base."

Clara watched as the Doctor had one of the fastest speaking conversations she had ever heard in her life. The call was over in seconds and that's when the Doctor handed back her phone.

"Here you are." he said.

She accepted it and put it back into her pocket. The Doctor's eyes hadn't left the door as he was expecting something to happen very soon.

"Who was that?" she queried.

There was no time for the Doctor to answer as seconds later; the metal door began to open to reveal a man dressed in some sort of military uniform. It was completely black; all except the red beret type hat on his head.

"Doctor." he saluted, "It's an honour to meet you."

"Yeah, yeah…" said the Doctor as he barged passed him.

Clara quickly followed him down a dark corridor until they reached a main control room filled with technology she had never seen before in her life. It looked very advanced and technical, not that she herself would have any problem using it.

As soon as the Doctor entered the room, all the staff rose to attention and saluted.

"Oh no!" cried the Doctor, "Don't salute."

"But it's an honour, Sir." argued a man, obviously the one in command.

"And that's enough with the 'sir'." commanded the Doctor, "'Doctor' will do."

"Understood." he said, "At ease everyone."

At that moment, Clara watched as all of the men and women sat down and continued with their work as if there hadn't been any interruption whatsoever.

"So Doctor," started the man, "What exactly are you doing here?"

The Doctor, who hadn't stopped visually examining the room, came to a halt and looked at him.

"I detected transmission signals coming from this base." he explained, "I assumed there was a problem."

The man frowned. "Why would there be a problem?" he questioned.

"Well, Captain…?" he began.

"Commander Stokes." he corrected.

"Commander?" asked the Doctor.

"Head of the ET investigation department." he told him, "A Scientific researcher, hence the 'Commander', not 'Captain'. I'm not a UNIT soldier."

"So why do you have a gun?" questioned the Doctor.

"Standard procedure." he responded.

"Standard procedure…" muttered the Doctor, "Can I take a look at the system?"

"What for?" asked Stokes.

"I just wanna see if I can find where these signals are coming from." he replied.

The Doctor couldn't help but notice his discomfort. He had bitten his lip countless times, he kept avoiding eye contact and his fists were clenched so tight that they were shaking while the skin on his knuckles turned almost yellow.

The Doctor frowned. "Commander Stokes?" he asked.

"Yes, sorry, go for it," he answered, "knock yourself out."

Clara began to take a look around. The room was incredibly dark apart from the light being emitted from the masses of computer screen scattered throughout the room. She could also just about make out the outline of what she expected was the logo for the company as a mural on the only blank wall in the room.

"Clara." the Doctor called as he sat down on a chair in front of a monitor.

She made her way over and leant on the Doctor's shoulder as she looked at the screen.

"What?" she questioned.

"Are you good with computers?" he asked.

"Fairly." she answered.

The Doctor smiled. "Good." he said, "Can you get pass this encryption for me?"

Clara took one look and laughed. "Easily." she responded.

She leant further over his shoulder and hit a number of keys on the keyboard.

"There you go." she stated.

The Doctor began to search through the new information.

"Ooh, what's this?" he asked as he his the Enter key.

Suddenly, the wall with the UNIT logo on began to move and revealed the opening to another room. Silence soon fell over all the personnel, especially as the Doctor stood up and approached the newly discovered doorway.

"You can't go in there!" cried Stokes.

The Doctor completely ignored him and entered. Whatever this room was, it was probably the reason why Stokes was so uptight when he asked to look through the system.

Clara caught up to him and entered herself. They both watched as the lights in the room activated and revealed two long rows of tiny cages filled with many different types of aliens.

"Doctor... what is this?" questioned Clara.

The Doctor's eye's widened in horror. There must have been hundreds of them locked up in cages barely big enough to stand in.

Stokes entered the room but instead of trying to deny any knowledge of the department, he stood there looking almost proud of what it was.

"Aliens…" whispered the Doctor before his voice escalated as he turned to face Stokes, "You lock up aliens?! What for, what are they? Lab rats?!"

Stokes' arched his back and lifted his head, not saying a word but letting his menacing smile grow. Clara was absolutely disgusted and shocked at the same time. Shocked as she had just discovered the existence of aliens yet disgusted as they were locked up in some sort of secret department and experimented on.

"They're my research sources." replied Stokes after a moment, "Welcome to The R.E.D."

"R.E.D... RED… Red!" exclaimed the Doctor, "Oh, this is the reason everyone in the village is dressed in red. It's a distress call."

"Very good Doctor," said Stokes, "You get a gold star."

The Doctor nodded as he put it all together. "Red." he said once again, "The Real Extraterrestrial Department? Am I right...? Well, if you're locking aliens up why aren't I in a cage? Hey?!"

"That can be arranged." Stokes told him, "Hamilton! Gould!"

A moment later, two of the officers entered the room.

"Lock him up." ordered Stokes.

The officers frowned and turned to their commanding officer. "Sir, it's the Doctor." objected Hamilton.

"No, _it's_ an alien. Lock him up," Stokes ordered before pulling out his gun and aiming it at them, "Now."

Against their wishes, the officers apprehended the Doctor.

"I'm sorry, sir." apologised Gould.

"Don't be!" he spat before turning to Stokes, "I'm disgusted that I was once associated with this company." the Doctor continued, "Locking up aliens and torturing them… I thought this was supposed to be the 21st Century!"

"We don't torture them!" argued Stokes.

"They're in cages! Confinement in itself is torture!" shouted the Doctor.

Stokes smiled and approached the Doctor. He reached into The Doctor's top pocket and retrieved his sonic screwdriver. He then looked back at Hamilton and Gould.

"What are you waiting for?" he questioned, "Lock him up already."

One of the cages nearest the door to the control room was empty so the officers opened it and literally threw the Doctor inside. Luckily he landed on the tatty mattress seconds before the cell was sealed.

"Let him go!" cried Clara.

As she moved, Stokes grabbed her around the neck and stopped her getting to the Doctor's cell.

"No don't!" cried the Doctor, "Please, I'll do anything just let her go!"

Stokes sniggered. "Let me think about it," he said, "No."

At that moment, he bent Clara's arms behind her back and handcuffed her.

"Let go of me!" she shouted as she futilely attempted to break free.

"Ooh, feisty one isn't she?" he said.

"Just leave her!" begged the Doctor, "She's no use to you Stokes, she's as thick as two planks of wood. Seriously, she couldn't even bring this department down with the _click_ of a button."

Clara bit her lip slightly as she registered the Doctor's words. She knew he was trying to suggest something to her in a way Stokes wouldn't notice.

"Take her to the control room." Stokes ordered after a moment, "Cuff her to one of the bars."

"Aye, sir." replied Hamilton before beginning to escort Clara out of the R.E.D.

The Doctor and Clara briefly made eye contact where she nodded slightly to show her understanding. She knew what it was that she needed to do; she just didn't know how it would be possible…

"So, what's gonna happen to me?" asked the Doctor after Clara had been taken away.

He was sitting on the tatty mattress placed firmly by the wall; his legs bent but stretched out as far as the size of the cage would allow him to.

"Well, I'll be back to begin the initial scans later." replied Stokes.

The Doctor looked up at him. "Who else knows about this little department of yours?" he asked.

"No-one but me and my team." he replied, "However, you may be interested to know that the other bases do rely heavily on the research done here."

The Doctor's lips tightened. "So you do all this just to _learn_ about aliens?" asked the Doctor, "You know, I thought it would be hard for any human to make me feel sick but congratulations, you've succeeded big time!"

"I don't care, Doctor." he told him, "I own you now and there is nothing you can do about it."

The Doctor sighed and watched as Stokes left and sealed up the room. He really hoped that Clara had understood his instructions, but the thing which scared him the most wasn't the fact he was locked up in a cage, it was the fact Clara was left in Stokes' hands. What he was capable of, he didn't know…


	7. The RED Takeover (Part II)

Chapter 7: The RED Takeover (Part II)

Two hours, that's how long she'd been handcuffed to the bar in the control room. She'd had to put up with Commander Stokes' incredibly snide comments about her intelligence levels and despite the fact she was 'as thick as wood', she had been questioned many times about her knowledge of The Doctor.

Obviously, she couldn't say much as she had literally only met him earlier that day but unfortunately for her, Stokes didn't believe that so now he was resorting to shocking her with minor electric pulses every time she didn't tell him what he wanted to know. The pain was slowly increasing as he tried to get her to reveal the location of the TARDIS, whatever that was, but compared to what the Doctor had been experiencing, it was nothing.

Occasionally, when the door of the R.E.D opened to either let an officer enter or exit the room, she could hear his screams as the scanner burnt through his skin. The sound of his cries ate away at her heart. Even thought she had only just met him, she couldn't dismiss the feelings she had for him… She cared for him deeply and she would have given anything to save him from Stokes.

Luckily, they seemed to have finished his interrogation for now and were leaving him to rest. Clara couldn't believe how barbaric these people were. Nobody deserves to be tortured for being who they are, alien or not!

Clara felt her anger towards Stokes intensify as he left his office and entered the control room. She was afraid he was about to go and do something else to the Doctor, so it eased her mind slightly when he approached her instead.

"How's my sweet little Clara doing?" he asked, talking as if she were three years old.

"Spoke like a typical man." she spat.

"If you choose to be unhappy, that's your problem sweetheart." he told her.

"Let's get one thing straight." she told him, "I ain't ya _sweetheart_."

Stokes pouted. "Oh… I was hoping we could be friends." he told her.

"Dream on." she told him.

He turned away and went over to two men trying to figure out how the Doctor's sonic screwdriver worked. They were failing miserably and Clara could see Stokes was not happy about it. However, she decided to take advantage of that opportunity.

"I can show you how that works, if you want." Clara said to Stokes.

Stokes spun around on his heels. "And why would _you_ help _me_?" he asked.

"Because I wanna go home." she told him, "If I 'elp ya, will you let me?"

Stokes frowned and approached her. "You'd betray him and help us?" he questioned.

"Absolutely!" she replied with no hesitation, "Do ya honestly think I'd choose an alien over me own people?!"

"You seemed willing to earlier." Stokes pointed out.

"Look, d'ya want help or not?" she asked, getting slightly infuriated.

Stokes took the screwdriver from the officer and put it in front over Clara's face.

"Okay then," he agreed, "Prove yourself. Tell me how it works."

"Alright." she agreed, "Un-cuff me."

Stokes frowned and shook his head. "I'm not that stupid." he informed her, "I don't want you to _show_ me, I want you to _tell_ me."

"I can't '_tell'_ ya." she admitted, "It's not easy to explain. It relies on the way you 'old it. I can show ya… if you'll let me."

Stokes sighed. "Okay." he agreed, "But you better not try anything clever."

Clara frowned. "Me, clever?!" she cried with laughter, "I'm as thick as plankton, me."

Stokes laughed before unlocking the cuffs around her hands.

"I could say that I comprehend what you mean" he started, "but I know you don't know big words like that."

Clara giggled. "Yeah." she agreed, "At least if I was blonde, I'd have an excuse."

Deep down though, she was screaming. Talk about dumbing down, she was literally having to act as if her brain was on holiday. However, if she got her way, she was about to give him something to _comprehend! _

"Right." said Stokes handing her the sonic screwdriver, "Use your brain cells quickly before they die of loneliness."

It was certainly a test of character. Now her hands were free, she wanting nothing more than to punch him in the face but obviously to keep him happy, she had to go along with it.

"Right." she started, "You 'ave to 'old it like this. Then, if you press this button, it scans the area."

Obviously, she hadn't actually got a clue how the peculiar little device worked but she had always been a very convincing liar... only when she needed to be, of course.

Stokes nodded. "Okay, I'm with you so far." he explained.

"Good, now see if ya can stay with me this time." she said as he smile began to grow.

Stokes scoffed. "If you can understand it sweetie, I won't have a problem." he teased.

"Oh, you might." warned Clara, "Cuz you see this button? If you press it while it's on the setting the Doctor set it to, you see that its very good at two things."

Stokes frowned. "And what are they?" he asked her.

"Disrupting electrical currents and opening doors!" she informed him just before she activated the device.

At that second, all the power in the control room was momentarily disrupted, giving Clara just enough time to make her way over to the R.E.D door. She bolted through it and went straight over to the Doctor who had just exited his cell.

"Sorry it took so long." she apologised, throwing the screwdriver to him.

The Doctor smiled as he caught it. He saw the potential they had as a team, it was surely going to be a lot of fun getting to know Clara.

"Stop them!" cried Stokes when he realised what had just happened.

The officers in the control room quickly grabbed their guns from their holders and ran towards the door.

"And now for my next trick…" Clara muttered before leaning over to a small console by the door and hitting a few keys.

The Doctor watched in amazement as the officers were suddenly stopped as a force field was activated in the arch of the door.

"Oh Clara, you beauty!" he exclaimed.

Clara grinned at him before beginning to help the Doctor gather up the rather scared and confused aliens. Most of them were struggling to stand up straight which didn't surprise her as they had been confined for so long.

"Clara…" cried Stokes as he approached the force field, "How could you betray your own people for an _alien_?"

Clara laughed. "Did ya honestly believe I'd choose _you _over 'im?" she asked.

"But you're human!" he cried, "Your people, _humans_, they should come before aliens!"

Clara shook her head and smiled when she and the Doctor made brief eye contact.

"Nah." she said, "I'd rather take me chances with 'The Chin' 'ere than people like you."

Once again, the Doctor began to rub his chin. "Seriously, what is wrong with my chin?!"

"Careful dear," she cautioned as she straightened his wonky bow tie, "You'll take someone's eye out with that."

The Doctor smiled and rolled his eyes. That was his Clara, his mysterious but lovely Clara Oswin Oswald.

x-[]-x

"I am so sorry for your experience." apologised Captain Janice Walter, head of the main UNIT HQ in London, "We had no idea what they were doing. They'd falsified all of their reports."

The Doctor nodded. "Well, at least you were sensible enough to shut it down." he told her, "So what's happening to the workers?"

"They've all been dismissed and their trials will start next week." Captain Walter re-assured them.

"What 'bout the aliens?" asked Clara, "What you gonna do with them?"

"We're transmitting a signal to inform their planets that they're here waiting to be collected." she answered, "We'll keep them comfy until then."

"Will that be enough?" asked Clara, "They're not all gonna live near to Earth, are they?"

"They all come from pretty local planets." the Doctor told her, "The signal transmitted will be picked up by all of them."

Clara nodded while the Doctor turned back to Captain Walker.

"Well thank-you." he said, "But I must be going."

"It's been an honour, Doctor." said Captain Walker, "And don't worry, I won't salute. I know you don't like it."

"Yeah, you're right." he agreed, "Goodbye Captain."

Captain Walker disappeared back into the Darchester base along with her colleagues while the Doctor and Clara began to leave.

"It's been one 'ell of a day." Clara stated as they were walking.

"It has indeed." agreed the Doctor.

Clara sighed. "So, where will you go now?" she asked.

"I'm not sure." he answered truthfully, "It depends if I find someone who wants to see the stars with me."

"If only that were possible." said Clara, "I'd love to see the stars."

The Doctor smiled. "You might one day." said the Doctor.

"Nah, not in my lifetime." she said.

"Stranger things have happened." he told her.

Clara smiled and was about to ask him a question when the sudden noise of running footsteps appeared behind them.

"GET DOWN!" shouted a voice the Doctor noticed from earlier that day.

Once again, just like it had happened earlier, they ducked just as laser disruptors were fired towards them. The Doctor noticed the woman who had saved him earlier dodge them and stun the figure who was literally metres in front of them.

"Where the 'ell did he come from?" asked Clara, referring to the caped figure on the floor, "He weren't there a second ago."

"You're right, he weren't." agreed the woman.

The Doctor slowly stood up and approached the figure lay in a heap on the ground. It was the first time he had managed to see him. He was dressed in a long grey cape with a hood. Similarly to the headless monks, his face wasn't visible.

"What is that thing?" questioned Clara.

The Doctor sighed. "I'd say it's a messenger," replied the Doctor, "but messengers don't usually act like assassins."

He spun around to Bronwin as she assisted Clara off the ground.

"You seem to be hunting it so tell me," he said to Bronwin, "What is it?"

"Well firstly let me clarify." she pleaded, "I'm not hunting it, I'm chasing it."

"Ain't that the same thing?" asked Clara who had taken up position at the Doctor's side.

Bronwin shook her head. "I'm a TAS Security Officer." she told her.

Clara frowned. "And what's that when it's at 'ome?" she questioned.

Bronwin smiled. "A 'Time and Space' Security Officer." she answered.

The Doctor raised his eyebrow. "The TAS was formed in the 37th Century." he stated, "I've never known an officer jump this far back into the past."

Bronwin shrugged her shoulders. "And that's the reason why so many of the criminals escape." she pointed out before heading over to the figure and handcuffing it, "But not while I'm around."

Clara smiled while the Doctor looked at the figure once again.

"Who is it?" he questioned, "Why did it try to kill us?"

Bronwin smiled and knelt down next to it. "You'll know soon enough." she told them, "And I'm sorry. Both of you, I'm so sorry."

The Doctor's expression suddenly became serious. "Why?" he demanded.

Bronwin sighed. "Because it will change your lives… forever." she said before taking hold of the figure and disappearing in a flash of off-white energy.

The Doctor took a moment to take in her words before turned to Clara.

"Come on then." he said before they began to head in the direction of the TARDIS.

They probably walked about one hundred yards before Clara decided to fill the silence that had fallen over them.

"So, where d'ya live exactly?" she asked.

The Doctor smiled. "I'm a traveller." he told her, "I don't really have a home. Not anymore."

Clara frowned. "Do you travel alone?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yeah…" he trailed off.

He was tempted to continue and tell her how he didn't use to but that just brought unpleasant memories to the surface.

"You must get lonely." she said, interrupting his thoughts.

"Yeah…" he agreed, "I suppose I do…"

They continued to walk in silence once again, showing Clara that the Doctor was more than keen to change the subject.

"You're an alien aren't ya?" she said to him.

The Doctor smiled and nodded. "Yep." he answered, "Is that a problem?"

"No." she confirmed.

At that point, the Doctor reached the TARDIS and took out his key. That action made Clara confused. It was soon noticed by the Doctor who smiled as he stepped inside. He remained at the door and turned to face her.

"Well, do you wanna see inside or not?" he questioned.

Clara frowned. "But it's just a box." she pointed out, "It can't be that big in there."

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders and laughed. "You'd be surprised." he told her before disappearing inside.

"Doctor?" she asked.

When she got no response, against her better judgement she decided to be nosy. Hesitantly, she took a step inside expecting to see a small square room however, that isn't what she saw. Instead, it was a giant room filled with very technological and advanced looking consoles and lots of colourful flashing lights. The room itself was a sort of grey colour and many of the walls had very pretty looking patterns engraved onto them.

"Wow…" she breathed in awe.

The Doctor smiled. "Welcome, to the TARDIS." he boomed.

"This… this is impossible!" she stated.

"I thought you liked impossible things?" he recalled.

Clara smiled and took a look around the main console.

"What is it?" she asked, "A machine? A ship?"

The Doctor nodded at the latter as he ran around the console, hitting random buttons as he passed.

"Time And Relative Dimensions In Space." he explained, "So, do you still wanna see those stars?"

Her eyes widened in amazement. "More than anythin'." she admitted.

"Excellent!" cried the Doctor.

He took his jacket off and threw it over the rail before closing the doors. He then returned to the console, eager for a new adventure.

"Is it safe?" she asked.

The Doctor approached her and smiled as he looked down at her.

"You're running away with a spaceman in a box." he reminded her, "Anything could happen to you."

Clara smiled. "Well, that's what I'm countin' on." she stated.

"Right, so where do you wanna go? Eh?" the Doctor asked before running around the console to Clara, "What do you wanna see?"

Clara's smile expanded across her face as she thought through the thousands of possibilities. She had the choice of anywhere in space and time… Where to begin?

"Somewhere new." she responded, "I wanna see something new."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow for a second and winked at her.

"Hold on tight." he advised before pulling the lever.

Clara couldn't stop herself from smiling as the TARDIS began to leave her little village. This was it… she was going to see the stars liked she'd always dreamed.

"So where we goin'?" she asked.

The Doctor looked over at her, his face beaming with delight.

"Exactly where you requested." he answered, "Somewhere new!"


	8. Brand New

Chapter 8: Brand New

Clara was excited at the prospect of seeing whatever it was the Doctor was taking her to. He still wouldn't tell her where they were going. Every time she asked, he would either smile and wink or just repeat her request 'somewhere new'.

The feeling of anticipation growing inside her was killing her and the Doctor knew it. He could see it her eyes every time he took a sneaky peek away from the scanner and over at her.

He circled around the console and stopped in the same place that he started, in front of the scanner. His smile beamed in a way it hadn't for a long time, mostly due to his proximity to Clara.

In a matter of seconds, the TARDIS began to stabilise as it left the Time Vortex and entered normal space. The Doctor took another look at Clara and felt his hearts jump in his chest. He couldn't explain how he felt, not completely. It was a similar feeling to how he felt while he was around River, but even that wasn't the same. This was a completely brand new feeling, one he hadn't felt properly for a long, long time.

Clara looked away from the scanner and towards him. She looked so wonderfully innocent. Her eyes shone and contained a gleam he hadn't seen in people for a while, and the fullness of her lips took his breath away.

He remembered back to the first time he'd met her as the 'Governess Clara', and that took his train of thought back to the moment she had kissed him.

"_That's why you like me." she teased._

"_Who said I like you?" he questioned._

_And that was the moment she clamped her hands around his neck and pulled him down to her. As their lips touched, he felt a spark fly through his body. Humans would have classed it as 'electric'… _

_Her warmth ran through his body to the point where he struggled to breath. He remembered struggling against her, overwhelmed by the intensity of what he was feeling at that moment._

_It came to an end all too soon but he couldn't disguise the shock that had hit him. The shock of what was one of the best feelings he had felt in such a long time._

"_I think you just did." she answered._

_Yes, he supposed he had…_

"_You kissed me!" he objected._

"_You blushed." she argued, her voice whispering in rather a seductive manor._

_He was left completely speechless. She was right. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find the words to say._

"_Oh, shut up!" she cried as he straightened his bow tie and returning back to business._

He still could feel those feeling burning inside him. He wanted nothing more than to tell her how he felt but it wasn't possible… she wasn't even the same Clara. However, she held the key to his hearts; she just didn't know it…

"Doctor?" she asked softly, breaking through the wall of his thoughts.

He quickly turned away and began to press random buttons in attempt to look like he was actually doing something important. However, all he was really doing was trying to hide his thoughts from her, hoping she wouldn't be able to figure them out.

However, she had a strong feeling she knew what he was thinking about, mainly because she was having similar feelings herself. He was this man who had just popped up in her life and blew her away. She knew that he knew something about her but if anything, that just intrigued her more. What's life without a little mystery?

What she did know was this: She cared for him… deeply. How she could do that without knowing him that well she didn't know, but when she looked at him, she saw a lonely man who she'd managed to bring back to life. She had no idea how but she was thankful that she had.

"We're here." the Doctor informed her.

Clara's smile grew and she ran around to the Doctor who was looking at the screen.

"Where is it?" she asked, "Where are we?"

The Doctor smiled and darted down to the door. Clara soon followed, her excitement escaping her mouth in the form of a gigantic smile. The Doctor smiled as she approached.

"Clara Oswald," he began as he opened the doors, "Welcome… to the Universe."

Clara's eyes widened when she saw the sight. She gasped and turned to the Doctor.

"What is it?" she questioned.

The Doctor smiled and looked back out of the door.

"This is the Turzatek Constellation, made up of 17 stars, and any moment now…" he explained before taking a quick look at his watch, "All of them will flare. Their gasses will collide and create, shall we say, 'fireworks'…"

Right on cue, what the Doctor explained happened. All the stars began to flare, expelling gasses, each of them slightly different colours. The gasses expanded far and wide, colliding with one another and setting off a chain reaction of explosions.

Every explosion took Clara's breath away, the array of colours burning brightly on the black canvas of space.

"That's beautiful…" she breathed, "17 stars…"

"Well you told me you wanted to see the stars." he said in a soft and gentle voice, "So here you are."

Clara took in every moment as the stars flared but it was over in a matter of minutes, the colours and the gasses slowly being hidden by a blanket of darkness.

She didn't want that spectacular event to end but everything has its time…

She turned and faced him with tears of complete joy building up in her eyes. They were welling up more every second and she soon realised.

"I dunno why I'm cryin'." she said as her hair fell out of place.

The Doctor smiled seconds before the tears in her eyes began to fall down her cheek. He wanted nothing more than to wipe them away. At that moment in time, he felt as if she was all that mattered… she was the only thing he cared for, and above all else, he wanted to kiss her… feel her lips against his again. He knew he shouldn't, she was human… he just couldn't help it.

"Hey…" he soothed, pushing her hair back behind her ear.

She smiled and wiped away her tears. "Thank you for this…" she whispered.

"Come here…" he whispered before embracing her in his arms, "You are so welcome."

They pulled away from each other and Clara wiped away her remaining tears. She then looked up at the man towering above her. He was one-of-a-kind… completely amazing. Out of all the people in the universe, he'd chosen to take her on his adventures. It was a privilege, and she was eternally grateful.

She sighed as he closed the doors and returned to the console. His fingers danced across it, and to say that it impressed her put it mildly.

He stopped and looked over at her, his smile glowing. "Anywhere else that strikes your fancy?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't care…" she answered, "Surprise me."


	9. Dreams

Chapter 9: Dreams

"Run!" repeated the Doctor.

By that point, he'd said the word 'run' more times than she could count. Then again he had good reason since they were being chased by an armada of security officers.

"What d'ya think I'm doing?!" she cried, her heart racing as fast as she was running.

The TARDIS was only around the next block but as they had been running at full speed for at least ten minutes, she couldn't deny that she was getting extremely tired and her legs were starting to feel like lead.

"Stop in the name of the Queen!" ordered the main officer who was leading the armada.

As they advanced, Clara began to struggle to keep up with the Doctor. She'd never been much of a runner but this was a whole new level of bad. However, this time her life depended on it so somehow her legs were still managing to carry her towards the direction of the TARDIS.

The Doctor skidded slightly as he reached the corner. He turned to see Clara struggling so he extended his hand out to her. She gratefully accepted it and he smiled.

"Come on…" he whispered.

They continued to run as fast as their legs could carry them, their hands interlocked.

Clara smiled as they reached the TARDIS.

"Oh, thank god…" she breathed as the Doctor quickly unlocked the door and ushered her inside.

Clara fell against the bar as soon as the Doctor was inside and had closed the door. Her heart was beating so fast in her chest that it sounded as if it was humming. She began to breathe deeply and tried to ignore the burn at the back of her throat.

"I was right, weren't I?" she asked after a moment, "It's always like this with you."

The Doctor smiled. "Yep." he replied before heading over to the console.

"Why did ya 'ave to go and smash that glass?" she questioned.

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders and began to hit random switches.

"I wanted a closer look." he admitted.

"At the crown jewels?!" she cried, "You're completely bonkers!"

The Doctor smiled and winked. "That's why you like me." he said.

Clara rolled her eyes and shook her head. Usually she would have objected and said something back but she barely had enough energy to push herself to her feet so a debate was way out of the question.

She slowly limped over to the main section of the control room, ignoring the lack of feeling in her legs. The Doctor watched as she aided herself over towards the console with the assistance of the metal bar.

Unfortunately for her, just as she attempted to make her way over to the chair without the bar's assistance, her left knee gave in. Luckily, the Doctor managed to run over and catch her before she actually hit the floor.

He assisted her up and over to the chair. She sighed as soon as her weight was off her legs.

"I'm never doin' that again." she guaranteed him.

The Doctor laughed slightly before kneeling down in front of her and looking up at her face. She had dark circles under her eyes and her skin was a little paler than usual. That was probably due to the fact that she hadn't slept for at least thirty hours.

"You look tired." he pointed out.

She smiled. "Well, I 'aven't slept for ages." she reminded him, "And I 'ave just run three miles… Don't I 'ave a right to be?"

The Doctor smiled weakly and stood up. He gave her a quick kiss on the top of her head before she looked up at him towering over her.

"You get some rest then." he told her.

He turned away and began to move towards the control panel as she began to settle down on the chair. She'd debated whether it would be wise to attempt to make it to her room but considering her legs were still throbbing, she decided to play it safe and remain where she was.

It didn't take her long to fall asleep; especially as she knew nothing could happen to her while the Doctor was around.

He glanced over at her once he had flown the TARDIS into the vortex. He couldn't help but notice how peaceful she looked as she slept. He disappeared down the corridor and retrieved a blanket for her since the control room wasn't that warm and he didn't want her waking up cold. He returned and placed the piece of fabric over her.

"Sleep well…" he whispered.

x-[]-x

It had been a few hours since Clara had fallen asleep. The Doctor was quietly going around the TARDIS, fixing bits and pieces that weren't actually in need of fixing before he started. During that time, he had taking a few sneaky peeks over at Clara. He was completely mesmerised at how innocent she looked while she slept. He didn't want to crush that innocence she had, the innocence which made his hearts leap with delight but he had the strongest feeling he would, one day…

He allowed himself a few moments to take in her beauty before returning to his work. He knew he shouldn't feel those feeling for her but he couldn't help it. He hated himself for it, she was human after all, but his hearts didn't want to let her go.

He continued tinkering with the console until his attention was drawn to something, a noise. He looked up and over in the direction it was coming from. He peered around the console and saw what it was: Clara. She was muttering in her sleep and whatever it was, it wasn't pleasant.

He frowned and approached her. "Clara?" he asked too soft to break through into her dreams.

He could tell by the way her eyelids were moving that she was dreaming. They were racing and he could see her hands gripping into the blanket, so tight that her knuckles were going white. Whatever she was seeing, she obviously didn't like it.

He knelt down in front of her. "Clara?" he asked once again, his voice louder this time yet it still failed to wake her.

Her muttering had become more and more apparent. She wasn't just muttering though, she was sobbing too.

He could just about make out some of her words:

"… where am I… stop… help me…"

He began to nudge her arm as her sobs grew in volume.

"Clara!" he shouted, "Clara, wake up!"

She woke abruptly, her breathing heavy and erratic.

"Hey, Hey, Hey…" said the Doctor, gripped his hands around her face and bringing her eyes level to his.

"I was just a dream." he soothed as she began to sob, "It was just a dream."

He brought her head into his chest and began to rock her back and forth. Clara couldn't understand why she was so upset; all she knew was that that 'dream' had shook her up.

It was a strange feeling. She'd never been scared of anything. She'd never suffered from nightmares, not even as a child but here she was, sobbing uncontrollably as the images she had just seen had terrified her…

x-[]-x

The Doctor had just finished making the first cup of tea he had made in years. He wasn't completely sure if it was okay as it looked quite weak but to be honest, he didn't think Clara would mind.

She was still sat in the control room. She'd calmed down by now but the images she had seen were still haunting her. However, like all dreams, they had begun to fade, something she was grateful for.

"Hey?" asked the Doctor, handing her the tea.

She looked up at him as she accepted it and smiled. "Thanks."

The Doctor sighed and took a seat next to her.

"You okay now?" he asked.

"I think so…" she said, "I don't think I've ever been so embarrassed…"

The Doctor frowned and turned to look at her, leaning his head on his hand which was resting on the backrest of the seat.

"Why are you embarrassed?" he asked, "Everyone gets nightmares from time to time… even me."

Clara broke eye contact with him and shook her head before taking a sip of her tea. She sighed as the liquid travelled down her throat, the heat comforting her slightly.

"Not me." she admitted, "Never had one in me life…"

The Doctor frowned once again before it faded into a smile.

"Never?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No." she admitted, "Not that I can remember at the very least."

The Doctor smiled. She never ceased to amaze him. She was just a completely impossible woman. She was one of the smartest people, barring himself, that he'd ever known and now she was telling him she'd never had a nightmare… not ever. Surely that was impossible…

"You are… impossible." he stated, "Completely and utterly impossible."

Clara smiled. "I thought you liked impossible things?" she teased.

"Oh, I do." he repeated, "But there's something about you _Clara Oswald, _something I can't quite put my finger on."

Her smile expanded. "Is that really such a bad thing?" she questioned, "Ain't it nice to 'ave a little mystery in your life?"

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders and smiled once again, not taking his eyes off the woman sat before him.

"I suppose it is." he agreed.


	10. Detective Smith & PC Oswald

Chapter 10: Detective Smith & PC Oswald

_She was falling, so far, so fast… faster and faster, deeper and deeper into the darkness. She could hear something behind her, underneath her, falling along with her. It was shouting, or screaming, or none of the above._

_She was cold… She was ever so cold. An icy wind was whipping past her, filling her ears with so much white noise. She couldn't make out where she was… she just knew she was falling. Her eyes remained fixed on something above her, something fluffy and grey. As she fell, her distance from it increased. All that was left was the darkness._

_It happened ever so quickly. She was falling, falling from such a height. The object above her became smaller and smaller until it was just a dot, then nothing. Through the noise of the wind, she could just about make out a voice… a voice so familiar, calling her name, screaming her name, crying her name…_

_It ended ever so suddenly. She heard something, something large shatter beneath her. It shattered like glass into thousands of little pieces. She soon followed… her body shattering in a similar way…_

Clara screamed slightly and shot up from her bed. Her breathing was heavy and her hands were tightly gripped around her duvet. She wasn't afraid to admit it, that dream had scared her. She let her rapidly beating heart slow down before she dared to move and activate the lamp on her nightstand. After that dream, she found it very unsettling to be in the dark...

Suddenly, her bedroom door swung open and the Doctor bolted inside.

"What's going on in here?" he asked.

She could see the concern painted on his face. He may have been an alien from another world but she could read his face like a book.

She shook her head. "Nothin'." she replied giving a persuasive but false smile.

The Doctor noticed and began to look around the room, double checking he hadn't missed anything.

"I heard a scream." he recalled.

Clara smiled weakly and moved herself further up the bed.

"It was nothin', honestly." she told him.

The Doctor frowned and sat at the foot of her bed.

"You're lying." he said after examining her face.

Clara bit her lip and looked away from his stare. "It's nothin'." she repeated, shaking her head, "It was just a nightmare, that's all."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Another one?" he questioned.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah." she confirmed.

The Doctor examined her face once again. In the faint glow of the light, he could see a trail of glitter on her cheek… the path of her tears.

"You've been crying." he pointed out.

"What…?" she started.

Her hand shot up to her wet cheeks. She wiped them away and looked at the remaining water on her fingertips, fascinated for a moment.

"I didn't realise…" she trailed off.

The Doctor smiled weakly. The feeling of care he felt towards her was like no other. It killed him inside that she was upset. Out of all the things in the universe, a nightmare was the one thing he couldn't save her from.

He slowly leant over to her and curled a piece of fallen hair around her ear.

"A dream can't hurt you." he reminded her.

"I know…" she agreed, "But it can frighten ya."

x-[]-x

It was a few hours later when Clara entered the control room, looked rather well rested and raring to go somewhere. At least she'd managed to get back to sleep after her 'incident' during the night.

The Doctor couldn't get her restless night off his mind. He could tell that the images she had seen had frightened her. That deeply worried him as she wasn't frightened of anything… well, at least not that he knew of.

"Mornin'." she greeted, her bubbly personality bringing the Doctor back to reality.

"Morning." he replied, "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "Yeah." she said, "So, what's in store today?"

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "Depends." he replied, "Where do you wanna go?"

Clara was about to answer when suddenly, the lights in the room flickered and the TARDIS began to shake violently, tossing Clara and the Doctor forcefully across the room.

The Doctor managed to cling onto the console and began to try and stabilise his ship, however, none of the controls were responding. Clara hadn't been so lucky with grabbing hold of the console and had had to settle with interlocking her arms with one of the metal bars.

"What the 'ell's happenin'?" she cried over the loud noises emanating from the TARDIS.

"I'm not sure." admitted the Doctor, "It looked like we're being pulled through the Time Vortex!"

"Can't you stop it?!" she questioned.

"No!" answered the Doctor, "The controls aren't responding."

"Brilliant…" she muttered.

They continued to cling on for their lives until the TARDIS came to a sudden stop, sending Clara across the room towards the floor. Luckily, the Doctor's super fast reflexes gave him the chance to catch her before she actually fell.

"I gotcha." he said, catching her in his arms.

Part of him desperately wanted that time to last a little longer. Just being with her was all he needed to make him feel happy so to have her in his arms, even if it was just an accident, made him feel complete.

He began to let his thoughts get carried away until realising she had been there slightly too long. In attempt to not make his thoughts known, he swiftly assisted her to his feet and returned his attention to the screen above his head.

Clara looked up at him as he read through the information on the screen. She could say that she wasn't attracted to him, but that would be a lie. Her heart was still fluttering from those few precious seconds she was in his arms. She had felt so safe, so protected. Nothing could have harmed her while she was there… She really wanted to tell him how she felt but she didn't want to jeopardise their friendship, it meant way too much to her.

"Well, we've landed." he said.

Clara shook her head and let her earlier thoughts return before looking up at the screen.

"Where are we?" she questioned.

The Doctor shook his head. "Not a clue." he responded before facing her and smiling, "Well come on then, let's go."

x-[]-x

They stepped out of the TARDIS into some sort of, well, the only way Clara could describe it was a disaster zone. It was the heart of night and everywhere they looked there were fires burning in little areas, debris spread out across the floor and lots of very scared people...

Many of them were injured, scattered in little pacts across the area. There were also a large number of people running towards a certain area on the other side of the clearing, clearly horrified at whatever it was.

The Doctor's smile was smacked off his face as soon as his eyes took in what was happening around him. He took one quick glance at Clara before sprinting over to the crowd of people gathering around, whatever it was. Clara quickly followed and together, they pushed their way through the crowd until they reached the front.

Clara's jaw dropped in horror. "Oh my God…" she whispered.

Before them was the wreckage of what looked like some sort of collapsed mine. The Doctor was horrified, especially as the people gathered around were getting dangerously close to the edge. He took a quick look around but saw no sign of any kind of officials anywhere. This was when he realised he had to take action.

He thought about yelling but he knew that even with a voice like his, it wouldn't be heard over a group that large, especially as they were all crying and screaming.

"Cover your ears." he mouthed to Clara.

She quickly complied as the Doctor lifted his sonic screwdriver into the air and activated it. The noise resonated throughout the entire area but when it had finished, it had gained exactly what the Doctor had wanted: silence.

"Right, everybody get back!" he ordered, "Get away from the edge!"

"But my son's down there!" cried one hysterical woman at the front of the crowd, setting the entire body of people off once again.

Clara bolted her hands over her ears as the Doctor repeated his last action and activated his tool once again. As soon as the volume in the area ceased, the Doctor looked over at the crowd making sure he'd captured everyone's attention.

"I'll keep doing it until you do as I say." he guaranteed, "Now move away from the edge!"

This time, the crowd complied and moved about ten metres away before continuing their chorus of sobs and wails. Clara and the Doctor were the only two left by the edge by the time the noise returned to its previous level.

"What is this?" asked Clara, still getting over the pain the sonic waves had caused in her eardrums.

The Doctor sighed. "A collapsed mine of some sort." he informed her.

"And, are there are people trapped in there?" she asked.

The Doctor bit his lip and nodded. "Yeah…" he trailed off, "I think so."

Clara felt her stomach turn slightly. "So, what do we do?" she asked.

The Doctor shook his head. "Absolutely no idea." he admitted.

He rubbed his forehead and looked around. He was at a loss. There was absolutely nothing he could have done, not without knowing more about what had happened.

Suddenly, his lack of hope was relieved slightly when he heard sirens sound. He smiled slightly as hundreds of emergency officers suddenly appeared and began to head down to them.

"Ahh…" he piped up, "Here comes the cavalry."

x-[]-x

The area was cleared within minutes, all the injured being treated and the crowd moved back behind a safety barrier on the outskirts of the clearing. This was when the officer in charge made his way over to the Doctor and Clara.

"Oi! You two, move!" he boomed as he approached them, "Didn't you hear the orders?! Evacuate the area!"

"I think we better go." Clara said to the Doctor as he approached them.

The Doctor turned and looked down at her. "No." he said.

Clara frowned. "Why not?" she asked him.

"Whatever's happened here, it's pulled the TARDIS out of the Time Vortex." he stated, "I'm not leaving until I find out why that happened."

Clara nodded. "Okay." she said before turning and looking over at the officer who had almost reached them, "So, how are ya deal with 'im?"

The Doctor smirked and reached into his top inside pocket and retrieved a little black leather wallet. "With this." he replied.

Clara frowned. "And what's that?" she questioned.

There wasn't time for the Doctor to answer as the officer reached them at that exact moment.

"Are you two deaf?!" he screeched, "I said 'evacuate the area.'"

The Doctor shook his head. "Can't do that." he replied.

The officer's eyes widened. "I ain't got time for this, lad." he shouted, "The area's dangerous and we've got just under fifty people stuck down there. Now move it!"

"Like I said, I can't do that." repeated the Doctor.

The officer was about to argue back when suddenly an idea inside his head clicked into place.

"Are you from the AEDA?" he questioned.

The Doctor nodded and held up the wallet, revealing whatever was inside it. The officer's eyes grew even wider when he saw it.

"Detective John Smith, known as 'The Doctor'." the Doctor introduced, "And this is PC Oswald, but you can call her Clara."

The man suddenly stood to attention and saluted. "Sir." he acknowledged.

"No don't salute!" he cried.

The Doctor then put the wallet back in his pocket and looked around at the clearing completely hidden in the darkness.

"Well first thing's first," begun the Doctor, "Let there be light... I've always wanted to say that."

The officer eased before nodding at the Doctor and giving the order for the lights to be activated. Suddenly, the entire area was lit up with bright white light and the full-scale of the accident was brought to the Doctor and Clara's attention.

"Sir…?" asked the officer, directing them to the on-site emergency office.

They began to follow in his wake towards the gazebo type tent positioned metres away from the TARDIS.

"Enlighten me Doctor." pleaded Clara as they followed, "What's the AEDA?"

"The Accident and Emergency Detective Agency." he informed her, "Set up in 2134. It's like a special branch of the police in the 22nd Century. They investigate incidents linked to accidents and emergencies that affect the general public."

"Okay…" said Clara, "But does that mean the real AEDA will turn up soon?"

"No." he replied bluntly.

"And why's that?" she enquired.

"That sonic pulse didn't just shut the crowd up." he responded, "I can't have PC Plod sticking his nose in while I'm investigating something strong enough to pull the TARDIS off course."

Clara laughed slightly. "Whatever you say, _Detective Smith_."

The Doctor smiled. "Sarcasm, Miss Oswald?" he questioned, "That's very unbecoming."

Clara rolled her eyes. "And who are you, Sherlock Holmes?" she asked.

The Doctor sniggered. "No." he replied, "That's Vastra."


	11. Trapped (Part I)

Chapter 11: Trapped (Part I)

The Doctor and Clara had just been briefed with all the information known by the security officers about the collapse. Apparently, the ground had suddenly become unstable and had resulted in the walls of the mine caving in. Five officers who were on the scene after the first collapse had gone in to assist people out when the main collapse had occurred, trapping them underneath along with the rest of the workers.

"So, how many people are stuck down there?" asked the Doctor as he sieved through the information displayed on the screens.

"Well, there are 49 people unaccounted for," replied the officer in charge, "But our scanners are only detecting 32 life signs."

The Doctor sighed and rubbed his forehead. That was at least 17 people…

Clara felt very out-of-place. Even though she was intelligent in her time, she felt quite dumb because of where she was stood. She was at the centre of a crisis zone in the middle of the English countryside, sometime in the 22nd Century. She had no idea what any of the technology was and even though they were all human, she had never felt so alien…

However, she had mentally been going through the information they had just been given when something dawned on her.

"Wait a minute." she instructed, "You said that ya 'ave officers down there, right?"

The officer in command nodded. "Yeah." he replied, "Why?"

"Can't you communicate with them?" she asked, pointing to the device around his wrist.

It looked like a blue wrist watch but where the clock face should be was some sort of speaker. The device was what the officer had used to order for the lights earlier that day and she could see that every officer was wearing one.

The Doctor snapped his fingers and pointing at her, amazed that he hadn't thought of that himself. She smiled when he winked at her before turning to the officer.

"That's a good point, Officer…?" he began.

"Sergeant Mendel." he corrected.

"Well Sergeant Mendel," he started, "Surely you can contact them."

Mendel swiftly pulled the device to his mouth and held down the button under the speaker.

"This is Sergeant Mendel calling Officers: Tonks, Baxter, FD, Manta and Andrews. Please come in." he hailed.

Meanwhile, deep down under the wreckage, chaos was brewing. People were starting to awaken from their initial unconsciousness so cries for help and panicking were what could be heard as Officer Tonks awoke from her coma.

She lifted her head slightly and slowly got her breath back. She was enclosed in a small area along with another officer, Officer FD, and two miners who, to be honest, looked deceased. She managed to sit up and lean against a solid part of the wreckage, desperately trying to ignore the pain searing through her pelvis and legs.

"Alaya?" she questioned weakly, "Alaya, wake up."

She watched as her colleague began to stir. She slowly pulled herself together as looked around only to see her friend, who was in considerable pain, sat up against the rubble.

"Naomi?" she asked after a moment, "You alright?"

She tried to reply but her breathing inhibited her from doing so.

"I've been better." she finally managed to reply.

Alaya got onto the hands and knees began to examine the two workers who were still unconscious on the ground. Luckily for her, she'd manage to escape with a minor hand wound and a couple of bruises.

She made her way over to the first worker and checked his pulse. Unfortunately, it couldn't be found. She then examined the second before looking up at Naomi.

"How are they?" Naomi asked.

Alaya shook her head, confirming what Tonks already believed: they were dead.

Alaya was about to crawl over to her friend when suddenly their little cavern of rubble echoed with the sound of their commanding officer's hail.

"_Officers Tonks, Baxter, FD, Manta and Andrews, please come in…"_

Alaya quickly hit the button on her communicator. "Officers FD and Tonks here, sir." she reported.

The Doctor's head snapped towards the direction of Mandel's communicator as soon as he heard the woman reply… he was sure he knew that voice.

"Officer FD." repeated Mandel, "Please report your status."

"_I'm okay, sir." _she replied, "_But Officer Tonks isn't."_

"Officer FD." said Mandel, "Can you contact the others?"

They heard her hesitate before replying. "_Officer Andrews is dead._" she reported, "_We were all together before the first collapse. He was killed during it. As for the others, I'll try and contact them. FD Out._"

The atmosphere in the office was noticeably tense as soon as Officer FD ended her communication.

"Make a note in the log." order Mandel after a moment, "Officer Mark Andrews: Deceased. Time: Between 0100 and 0200 hours. Cause: Collapse of Bramwell Mine."

The Doctor eye's widened. He stood up and approached Mandel.

"Bramwell Mine?!" he asked in a small state of shock, "That's Bramwell Mine out there?"

Mandel frowned. "Yeah…" he replied, "Is it significant?"

The Doctor gulped as his mind raced through his history.

_**Bramwell Mine:**__ First Collapse – 1__st__ June 2189, 0131 hours. Second Collapse: 1__st__ June 2189, 0204 hours. Third Collapse: 1__st__ June 2189, 0346 hours. Destruction: 1__st__ June 2189, 0350 hours. _

"You have to get them out of there…" he ordered, "Now!"

"We're going as fast as we can," he replied, "But safety of the crew comes first. You of all people should understand that… being in the AEDA."

The Doctor gulped. "How long will it take to evacuate them all?" he questioned.

"We'll be ready to start by 0400." he answered.

The Doctor shook his head. "No, you need to start now!" he ordered.

Mandel shook his head. "That's not possible, sir."

"Well, let's make it possible." he instructed.

x-[]-x

Time was ticking away. The foreknowledge the Doctor had made him even more determined to get the people out, especially as it was already 0300 hours… less than an hour until the final collapse.

Clara had noticed the change in the Doctor. His determination had suddenly surfaced after realising where they were. He obviously knew something he wasn't telling her, something important about the mine. Why was it so significant?

The Doctor had been searching for the reason for the collapse and frankly was at a loss. Physically, there was nothing wrong with the ground around the area and the mine itself was supposedly 'perfectly safe'. It had passed its last inspection a month beforehand with flying colours.

"Sergeant Mandel?" he questioned seconds before the Sergeant left the tent, "Can I use your communicator?"

Mandel nodded and took the device off his wrist.

"Here." he said before throwing it to the Doctor and exiting the tent.

The Doctor caught the device and activated it.

"Officer FD?" he questioned, "FD, are you there?"

"_Officer FD here." _replied that voice that he recognised but still didn't know where from, _"Who is this?"_

"I'm the Doctor." he replied, "And what can I call you opposed to 'Officer FD'?"

"_Alaya_." she replied.

"Alaya…" he repeated, "I've always like the name Alaya."

He heard her laugh slightly. _"Thanks…" _she expressed.

"So, Alaya what?" he asked, "I take it your surname isn't 'FD'?"

He heard her laugh once again. "Yeah, you're right." she replied, "But no-one can pronounce my surname so I stick with FD."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow. "Try me." he dared her before shaking his head, "No don't! I'm getting side tracked… Alaya, I need your help. How do you feel about going on a little trip?"

Alaya, who was sat beside Officer Tonks' lifeless body, was intrigued about this little 'trip'. She severely doubted they were going to get to her anytime soon and being surrounding around three dead bodies was starting to unnerve her.

"_What kind of trip?_" she questioned.

"I need you to get to the main control room." he informed, "You're literally only 100 metres away and according to my scans, it's still intact."

"_Why d'ya need me to go there?" _she asked.

"I want you to scan the mine… see what caused the collapse." he told her, "You think you can get there?"

Alaya smiled. _"Just you watch me!_"

As she began to make her way towards the control room through the tight gaps in the rubble, the Doctor monitored her on his screen. He still couldn't work out how he knew her voice but he was sure that he did.

Clara entered the tent not long after.

"'ey up, trouble." she greeted.

The Doctor's stare broke away from the screen and he turned to her. She had her playful smile painted on her face which resulted in him smiling.

"'Trouble'?" he asked, "How many nicknames have you got for me?"

"Ooh…" Clara moaned as she began to surf through her mind, "I'm not sure. A fair few."

The Doctor leant back on his chair and smiled as she took a seat next to him.

"I'm not sure whether I should be scared or not…" he admitted.

Clara smiled and shook her head. "Don't worry, the majority of them are nice." she teased.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows and laughed. "Only the 'majority'?" he asked.

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of an alert from outside the tent in the clearing.

"What's goin' on?" asked Clara.

The Doctor looked at his watch and gulped. The time was 0345 hours…

"Alaya!" he screamed down the communicator, "Cover yourself now!"

Alaya, who was crawling under a stack of debris suddenly stopped and hit her communicator.

"Why…?" she asked, worried at the concern in his voice.

The Doctor gulped. There were seconds to go until the final collapse.

"Just do it!" he cried before exiting the tent followed by Clara.

They both entered the clearing and saw the rescue services ushering everyone away from the wreckage, the victims and officers alike.

Suddenly, right on cue with history, the ground around the wreckage began to crumble as the mine caved in. They all watched in horror as it collapsed further, setting off minor explosions and sending more debris over the clearing.

The rescue teams dove to the ground to protect themselves. The Doctor did the same, grabbing Clara and throwing them both to the ground. Clara brought her hands to her head, covering it as the debris flew over them.

As soon as the explosions had ended, the rescue crews began to slowly pick themselves off the ground, making sure the collapse was fully over. The Doctor also pushed himself off the floor. He quickly spun around and turned to look at the collapse. His hearts dropped when he saw the difference. Most of the pylons that were still standing had now collapsed and there were more fires burning on and around the wreckage.

He gulped and hit the switch on Mandel's communicator which was now securely attached to his wrist.

"Alaya?!" he cried, "Alaya?! Are you there?"

He sighed and went to turn back to the tent in order to go and scan for Alaya's life signs.

"Come on Clara…" he started.

However, his words were halted when he turned to see her face down on the ground. Her face had been caught by some debris and she was unconscious with blood flowing down from a gash on her forehead.

The Doctor felt as if all the air in his lungs had been knocked out in a single second.

"No, no, no, no, no…" he cried, rushing over to her and kneeling down beside her.

He turned her onto her back and rubbed her hair off her face.

"Clara!" he shouted, "Clara, wake up!"

He felt his lip quiver when she didn't respond. He'd only just met her, he couldn't lose her… The only good thing was that she was still breathing… she was still alive.

"Come on Clara…" he cried, "Please… please wake up…"

He could feel his hands begin to shake. He couldn't lose her... he physically couldn't cope with losing somebody else. After weeks of searching, he'd finally found her. He couldn't lose her now…

"Come on Clara… please…" he repeated, "Just wake up…"


	12. Trapped (Part II)

Chapter 12: Trapped (Part II)

The Doctor couldn't stop his hearts racing as she lay there, her head resting in his arms. He could feel the tears welling up in his eyes every time she failed to respond to him. Hadn't he suffered enough? Why did the universe hate him so much that he was close to loosing someone else?

The rescue teams, who had just gathered themselves together, noticed Clara's lack of movement and made their way over to them.

One on the medics, Nurse Jayne Condor, knelt down at Clara's side and began to examine her with a medical scanner. The results weren't good and the Doctor could tell that by the way her face fell.

Jayne looked up and bit her lip before shaking her head. "I'm sorry…" she whispered, "She has minutes…"

The Doctor felt the lump in his throat grow and he looked down at the woman lying in his arms. Jayne left them and returned to her colleagues.

The Doctor couldn't believe what was happening. However, part of him wasn't surprised. He was continuing with the usual pattern: growing close to someone completely innocent and then destroying them.

"Oh Clara…" he sobbed, "I'm so sorry…"

His hearts fluttered slightly when he saw her head twitch. He quickly wiped away a tear that rolled down his cheek and brushed her hair off her face.

"Clara…?" he asked.

She moaned softly. The pain was completely numbing her body and her breathing was irregular. She managed to open her eyes but she couldn't ignore how heavy her eyelids felt.

"Doctor…?" she breathed.

"I'm here…" he said rubbing her forehead.

She smiled weakly as her breathing grew more and more inconsistent.

"What... what's 'appenin' to me?" she questioned.

The Doctor gulped. "You're gonna be okay." he promised.

Clara shook her head slightly when she saw the tears in his eyes.

"I'm dying, aren't I?" she asked in a whispered.

"I can't lose you…" he told her kissing her forehead, "You're all I have left."

Clara began to silently weep. The physical pain was almost as bad as how she felt mentally. She was dying, and she was taking the Doctor's hearts with her…

The Doctor could feel his hands begin to burn. He desperately wanted to save her… he couldn't face the fact of losing her so soon after the others.

He felt his hearts break a little more as he saw tears rolling down her face.

"Hey…" he soothed rubbing her forehead with his thumb, "Don't cry…"

She gulped and bit her lip in attempt to block out the pain she was feeling.

"I'm dying, Doctor…" she murmured, "I'm scared…"

"Hey…" he soothed once again, "You're not gonna die…"

He felt his cheek become wet once again as another set of tears ran down his face.

"I know you're not gonna die." he assured her.

She sighed and frowned slightly. "How?" she questioned.

"Because I'm not gonna let you." he told her.

"Why ya sayin' that?" she asked through her sobs, "You can't stop it."

The Doctor smiled weakly and kissed her forehead once again.

"Oh Clara…" he breathed, "Just you watch me…"

x-[]-x

Meanwhile, underneath the collapse, Alaya had suddenly found herself in an amount of pain she never knew was possible. She had been crushed by the debris she had been crawling underneath and she could feel it in her pelvis, legs and spine. The pain was intense and inhibiting her ability to breathe well.

She managed to look up at the fragments above her and could see they were very unstable. She began to pull herself along the ground with her arms. Every move was agony but she wasn't prepared to stay there just in case there was another collapse.

She finally managed to reach a small opening in the debris after a minute or two. It was much more stable than the place where she had just been.

She wasn't afraid to admit it, she was scared. She just wanted help to arrive, she didn't want to be alone any longer.

"Help me…" she whispered, "Someone help me please…"

She managed to reach her communicator on her wrist only to see it was damaged. She sobbed slightly and began to breathe through the pain. She desperately wanted help to come. She really didn't like the amount of pain she was in and above everything; she just wanted to go home.

x-[]-x

Clara had lost consciousness not long after the Doctor had spoken to her. There were now three medics around her telling the Doctor how little time she had left but the Doctor had given up listening. He was concentrating on the burning in his hands. The fact that it was growing stronger gave him hope and with any luck, she'd hold on for enough time.

The Doctor sighed and looked down at her lying lifelessly on the ground.

"Get back from her." he ordered after a moment.

Jayne, who was examining her once again, looked up at him and frowned.

"Sir?" she questioned.

"Get back." he repeated as his hands clenched.

She was about to object when suddenly she saw a burning orange gas-type energy emit around the Doctor's hands. As he unclenched his fists, the three of them watched it get brighter and brighter.

They all moved back from the Doctor, mostly due to the shock of what was occurring. He was a human-looking man yet he was doing something completely impossible. Maybe he wasn't human after all...

The Doctor sighed as he knelt down at her side. He proceeded to place his hands on Clara's shoulder blades which resulting in zapping life was suddenly back into her broken body. She awoke abruptly and felt the energy filling her cells. It was bizarre but marvellous feeling.

"Doctor…?" she began, "What are you doing?"

He smiled and brought his face closer to hers.

"Saving you." he replied.

She frowned as much as her aching muscles would let her. "Why?" she asked.

The Doctor bit his lip and smiled softly as the energy expanded around them.

"I never know why." he told her, "I just know who."

The rescue teams all dropped what they were doing and watched in amazement as the energy emitted from the Doctor's hands expanded. It was completely blinding and they had to look away but it couldn't stop the wonder of the event.

It took a few moments before the bright energy that had spread across the clearing began to fade back into total darkness. Even though the lights they had set up were bright, compared to the light from the Doctor's regeneration energy, they were nothing so the dimness was easily noticeable.

Clara awoke moments later to the sight of the Doctor smiling above her.

"Hello." he greeted.

She sighed and slowly sat up with his assistance. She looked down at her body which felt somewhat refreshed. She moved her fingers and felt her forehead, amazed that there was no evidence at any gash.

She looked up at the Doctor. "What did you do?" she asked.

"I healed you." he told her with a smile.

Clara frowned. "How?" she enquired.

The Doctor sighed. "By sacrificing a few hundred years of my life." he told her, "No biggie."

Clara sniggered slightly. "No biggie?!" she quizzed, "A few hundred years of your life aren't particularly important?!"

The Doctor shook his head. "No." he answered, "Because you're still here."

x-[]-x

Alaya continued to breathe through the pain she was experiencing. She looked at the watch on her other wrist. 0348 hours… how long would she have to wait until the rescue crews found her? Would they ever find her alive?

She could feel the pain growing increasingly worse and her breathing was becoming erratic. She was dying…

It came to a point where she had to accept it; no-one was coming for her. She was going to die alone. Once she had finally accepted that fact, she found herself calming down and finding a level of serenity she had never known possible. All of a sudden, all the pain seemed meaningless and she began to welcome the end… at least she was going to die happy.

"I'm ready…" she whispered to herself.

She closed her eyes and began to breathe deeply, treasuring the last minutes of her life. She sighed and smiled. She'd never been religious, never worshiped any type of God, but she wasn't scared of her oncoming death. How could she be scared when she was this tranquil?

Meanwhile in the clearing above her, the rescue teams were still hard at work. Fifteen people were now safely out of the rubble and reunited with their families.

The Doctor was also much better now as Clara was okay. She was still feeling pretty weak but she was alive, that was the main thing.

In the midst of all that was happening, the Doctor had failed to realise the time. He was completely unaware of how close it was until the destruction of the mine…

x-[]-x

Alaya was more than ready now. It was her time. She took what she believed would be her last breath but then she felt something new, a feeling much stronger and more powerful than the pain that had been plaguing her body.

Her eyes suddenly shot open as the pain was overpowered within seconds by the new feeling. It was like a vicious burning, focused mainly in her arms, head and chest. She was burning up, almost as if there was an intense fire blazing underneath her skin.

She began to panic. It wasn't right.

She was now sat up, her arms extended slightly. She examined them; completely forgetting that the pain which was killing her was somehow gone.

"What the hell…?" she asked in a state of terror.

She watched in astonishment, and horror, as her hands suddenly began to burn. She screamed when they began to secrete some sort of golden energy… as if her body were exploding!

At that moment, in the clearing above, The Doctor, Clara and rescue teams were still hard at work. The Doctor smiled as another person was pulled from the wreckage unconscious but alive. That was sixteen in total.

Clara looked over at him and smiled. She was glad to see him content. They both made eye contact and the Doctor winked at her, happy that everything was going to plan.

It was then that he took a quick glance at his watch.

Clara saw his mood change within a nanosecond. His eyes had widened with horror and she saw him suddenly look towards the mine.

The next few seconds happened so fast. The Doctor ran towards the rescue crews, screaming at them to move away. His voice sounded as though it was being amplified with a megaphone as he ordered them to move.

As they all could hear the fear in the voice, they all complied and moved away. Seconds later, the mine behind them blew up, expelling fragments of debris all over the clearing.

The force of the explosion blew everyone to the ground at such a force that the crew members closest to it ended up at least ten metres away from their starting point.

The explosion was over within seconds but it took at least half a minute before anyone dared to move.

When the Doctor aided himself to his feet, the first thing he did was check if Clara was okay. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that her only problem was a case of bad hair.

He went over to her and assisted her off the ground. That was when they both turned to the site of the mine. However, it resembled a rather large bonfire rather than a mine. It was burning brightly, giving off a thick black smoke into the similar coloured sky above.

The Doctor looked over at Sergeant Mendel. He was frantically scanning the structure but the Doctor knew there were no survivors. History had just occurred in front of him, at the cost of 33 people's lives.

x-[]-x

The rest of that day until 0800 passed in a daze. The sun had risen over the site but the only thing the Doctor felt was sadness. The fire was still burning but was under control and slowly dying. The media had surrounded the site, informing the entire country about the event and the onlookers had slowly departed, some leaving behind their families long dead underneath the rubble.

The Doctor and Clara returned to the TARDIS, keen to stay out the media's prying eye. Clara was unsure how to deal with the Doctor's sadness. She could tell that he was blaming himself even though it wasn't his fault.

"There was nothing more you could have done." she reminded him as he stood pointlessly at the console.

He nodded. "I know." he replied before turning and facing her, "But 33 people…"

She smiled weakly. "Did you find out what brought the TARDIS here?" she asked.

He shook his head. "It could have just been an echo from my regeneration energy when I healed you." he said.

Clara raised her eyebrow. "You don't believe that." she pointed out, "I can see it in ya face."

The Doctor laughed slightly. "I don't know what else it could have been…" he admitted.

He looked towards the door of the TARDIS and sighed. He greatly wanted to forget what had just happened outside of it.

He turned to Clara. "Ready to get out of here?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah." she replied.


	13. Ward Thirteen

Chapter 13: Ward Thirteen

The Doctor stuck his head out of the TARDIS, quickly followed by Clara. This was the best attempt of discreteness on the Doctor's part as he wanted to be sure they hadn't landed in the midst of a war zone.

He stepped out of the box into a large, empty, white corridor. The windows were enormous, literally from the floor to the ceiling which was at least 20 feet high.

Clara stepped out and closed the door behind her. Her attention was drawn to the view out of one of the windows. It was of a silver ocean which shone in the light of the two white suns in the sky. The water glittered and rolled up onto golden sand, making the sand look as if there were miniature diamonds scattered all over it.

"I'll never get used to this." said Clara as the Doctor approached her from behind.

He smiled as she took in the beauty of it all. He loved it when his companions could see the beauty of a place that he couldn't actually see anymore. He had once, but after 1000 years of travelling, it was rare occurrence when a place amazed him as much as it amazed them.

"So, where are we?" she asked.

"The Telzecca System." he said referring to the suns, "And this is the planet Tribecca."

Clara nodded and spun around to familiarise herself with the building they were in.

"And what's this place?" she questioned.

"Caremaine Hospital." he responded, "The biggest hospital on a planet in the universe and the second biggest hospital in the universe."

Clara frowned. "What the 'eck are we doin' in a hospital?" she enquired.

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me." he admitted.

Clara sniggered. "Well you landed 'ere!" she pointed out.

The Doctor laughed. "Do you honestly think the TARDIS takes me where I wanna go?" he questioned, "I was trying to take you to Malorian System."

"Oh great…" muttered Clara, "The TARDIS is having a tantrum."

The Doctor laughed. "Oh, come on you."

They walked down the corridor until they reached the main reception. The area was much livelier than where they landed. There were nurses and doctors crossing the floor and a number of people seated on sofas in certain areas or sat at small tables. There were a handful of shops and restaurants opposite the main doors and two large corridors on the other side of the room, one leading to the Wards and the other to the departments.

"This is a hospital?" Clara asked, "It looks more like a service station."

The Doctor smiled and rolled his eyes. However, he could see her point.

"Come on." he said, walking towards the large corridor.

Clara quickly caught up. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"Ward 13." he answered.

Clara raised her eyebrow and paused in her tracks. "So we didn't just 'drop in' then?" she questioned.

The Doctor turned to face her and shook his head. "No." he admitted, "I detected a signal coming from this hospital. I thought it would be best to investigate."

"So in other words you were curious?" she reworded.

The Doctor nodded. "Yep." he answered.

"Well, why didn't ya just say that?" she quizzed as she caught up to him.

x-[]-x

They found themselves in a small ward with six beds in total, three on either side of a circular terminal in the centre of the room. At the terminal was a single nurse, the nurse the Doctor presumed was the Matron. All the beds were filled with patients who were all different species. They were all heavily sedated and connected to a range of different medications.

As they approached the terminal, Clara saw what they looked like for the first time. To be honest, they looked quite similar to humans. The only difference was the fact their iris and pupils were fully black and they had a three dark ridges running over their temples, almost as if a cat had clawed them and left three deep, dark marks.

Clara noticed the nurse's eyes widen when she first saw the Doctor. However, she composed herself by the time they reached the desk.

"Good afternoon." she greeted, "I'm afraid the patients are sleeping at the moment. You'll have to come back later."

"Oh, I'm not here to see a patient." he told her, "I'm the new Caretaker. I need to check the console. Make sure it's working properly."

Clara's eyes hadn't moved off the alien. She saw her gulp as soon as the Doctor had finished his request.

"Of-Of course." she stuttered, "But please, do not disturb the patients."

She then left the ward, leaving Clara and the Doctor as the console in the heart of the ward.

"That was odd." the Doctor stated.

"What was?" asked Clara.

"She allowed us into the ward during non-visiting hours," he began, "And now she's left."

"So?" said Clara.

"A Cordine Nurse _never_ leaves her patients." he informed her, "And they never let anyone, not even other hospital staff members, do anything that could disturb their patients. It's in their Code of Conduct."

The Doctor began to search through the database in the console. He found it extremely strange that all the files were so easy to get access to.

"She also looked… afraid when she saw you." Clara pointed out after a moment.

The Doctor looked up from the console and smiled. "You noticed too?" he asked, "Oh, that's my Clara."

The Doctor continued to look through the database when the sudden sound of shattering glass from outside the ward made Clara jump.

"What the 'eck was that?" she asked, slowly walking towards the door.

The Doctor looked up. "Oi!" he cried, "Don't go out there."

"But someone could be hurt." she objected.

The Doctor sighed. "Two minutes?" he questioned, "Can you give me two minutes?"

Clara looked back once again. She could hear someone moaning and she desperately wanted to help.

"I'll go." she told him.

"No way." he stated, "I don't trust this place."

"I'll only go around the corner." she promised, "I just wanna see if anyone needs help… Please?"

The Doctor sighed. "Shout if you need me." he told her, "I'll join you in a sec."

Clara smiled and ran out the door into the corridor. The Doctor quickened his pace so he could find the signal quicker and then join Clara. However, his work was halted when he heard her scream.

"Clara?!" he cried.

He stood up and was about to head towards the door when she shouted back.

"It's alright!" she guaranteed him, "I'm fine."

He relaxed slightly and sat back down, continuing to examine the data on the screen.

"What happened?" he questioned as he began to sonic the console.

"I just… slipped on the glass and fell." she responded, "Don't worry. I'm fine."

"Okay." he shouted back, "I'll be out in a minute."

"No!" she objected instantaneously.

The Doctor frowned and looked towards the door. That response was too quick. It was almost as if she didn't want him to come and help her.

He slowly made his way away from the console and headed towards the door.

"Why not?" he questioned.

"Just don't come out here!" she shouted, "I'm fine, just leave me!"

That confirmed to the Doctor that something wasn't right. "Clara, are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine!" she snapped, "Don't come out here!"

The Doctor ignored her and exited the ward, only to find an empty corridor. There was no sign of any shattered glass and above all, there was no sign of Clara. The only thing to be seen was a long empty white corridor with doors leading to other wards.

"Clara?" he asked.

He ran down the corridor slightly but saw nothing. There was no sign of her anywhere, or movement of any kind.

"Clara?!" he shouted.

Suddenly, a nurse from another ward popped her head out of the door.

"Excuse me sir. I would appreciate you not disturbing my patients. Also, the waiting area is that way." she said pointing down the corridor, "That's were you should be."

The Doctor looked over at her and pointed. "See? That's typical Cordine Nurse Behaviour." he stated, "Nothing like the nurse who was in there."

The nurse stared at the ward he was referring too.

"Ward 13?" she asked.

He nodded and began to look around at the corridor once again. The corridor was deadly straight yet there was no sign of anyone barring himself or this new nurse.

"There's been no nurse in Ward 13 for days." she pointed out, "The ward's empty."

The Doctor's head snapped towards her. "What?!" he cried.

He quickly turned around and ran back inside Ward 13. The nurse from the opposite ward called for another nurse to come and take over the Ward Watch before quickly following the Doctor.

He was shocked to see that Ward 13 was empty and powered down. The beds were empty, perfectly made up for its use in the near future and the main terminal which he had been using minutes before was deactivated. He quickly scanned it with his sonic screwdriver and that confirmed the Nurse's story. The console had been deactivated for at least four days.

"That's not possible…" he stated, "I was just here… I was using the console… The beds were full!"

The Nurse shook her head. "We rarely use Ward 13." she told him, "It's usually only used for patients with severe radiation poisoning."

The Doctor sighed. He hadn't imagined it… Clara had seen it too.

"Clara!" he cried before dashing out of the Ward once again.

He stood in the middle of the corridor looking for any clues to which direction she was. He then whipped out his sonic screwdriver and began to scan for her.

The Nurse was horrified as the sonic pulses began to emanate along the corridor, more than likely echoing in the wards.

"Sir, you can't use that in here!" she cried, "It'll disturb my patients."

"Well then," he began, "You help me find my friend and I'll be on my way. Deal?"

The Nurse sighed. "Do I have much choice?"

x-[]-x

The Doctor and the Nurse had been searching for Clara for at least ten minutes. The Doctor couldn't understand how she disappeared so quickly or why he couldn't find her. It shouldn't have been hard to miss the only human in the entire hospital!

"Clara!" he called once again.

He started to get angry with his screwdriver as it failed to pick up her life signs. After a minute, he gave up with it and reverted back to using his eyes.

"Doctor!" a voice behind him and the Nurse called.

He swiftly spun around and saw exactly who he was looking for running towards him. He was relieved to say the least as she got closer and seconds later, she was in his arms. He hugged her back, protectively rubbing her head for a moment before she pulled away.

"Where were you?" he asked.

"I dunno." replied Clara, "I got lost and I couldn't find you."

The Doctor frowned. "Lost?" he asked, "Where?"

Clara shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno." she repeated.

"Sorry…" interrupted the Nurse, "Can I return to my duties now?"

"Yes, sorry." said the Doctor, "Thank-you for you help Matron…?"

"Winters." she replied with a weak smile.

"Of course Matron." he said, "Thank you."

Winters nodded slightly before leaving them. Meanwhile, the Doctor turned his attention back to Clara. Even though she was smiling and happy just like usual, he couldn't help but notice she looked slightly different than usual.

He ran his hand down her left cheek and was surprised at how cold she felt.

"You look pale." he stated as he noticed the colour difference between his hand and her cheek, "Are you feeling alright?"

Clara smiled weakly and reached for the Doctor's hand on her face. She squeezed his fingers and nodded.

"Yeah I'm fine, honestly." she assured him.

He closed his hand around hers slightly and used his thumb to rub her fingers. It felt so right to hold her hand yet so wrong at the same time.

Also, there was something about her at that moment in time that he didn't trust. She wasn't the Clara he knew… she was something else.

He swiftly pulled his hand away and smiled at her.

"Well you must be starving." he said, "Come on, I'll get you something from the café."

Clara frowned. "Starving?" she questioned.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "As in 'hungry'."

"Oh…" she said, "Of course, yeah. 'Hungry', as in 'wanting or in need of food'."

The Doctor frowned at her comment but smiled when she looked up at him.

"Yeah." he replied, "Exactly that."

As they headed towards the café, he couldn't dismiss the assumption he had about the person walking next to him. Whoever or whatever it was, it wasn't Clara…


	14. Double Trouble

Chapter 14: Double Trouble 

The Doctor was still wary of 'Clara' as they reached the café. He had noticed she was very repetitive, constantly saying: 'I'm fine' and 'Don't worry'. Also, she seemed to be lacking knowledge about basic words and skills. That was something the real Clara never had trouble with… ever.

When they got to the café, Clara took a seat at one of the tables while he went and got two coffees from the machine. He returned moments later and sat opposite her, examining every detail of her face.

She frowned. "What are you staring at?" she questioned.

The Doctor smiled and shook his head. "Nothing." he replied.

However, truthfully he was worried, especially after she just answered him as she had suddenly lost her accent.

"Why do you look angry with me?" she asked.

"I'm not… I'm just concerned." he admitted, "You seem to be lying to me."

She smiled. "I'm not." she guaranteed him, "_Don't worry_."

A few moments passed and they sat there in complete silence. It was the Doctor who made the first move, grabbing one of the coffees off the table before looking up at her once again.

"Sugar?" he asked, referring to the sachet in his hand.

However, as he looked up he saw her flinch as if something were being stabbed into her side.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

It took moments for the pain to pass but after it had, she looked up at the Doctor and smiled.

"Sorry, what did you say?" she asked.

The Doctor sighed. He was putting the clues together in his head and he had a feeling he was somewhere along the right lines.

"Here." he said, passing the coffee to her.

She accepted it, not taking her eyes off the Doctor. They hadn't broken eye contact and she saw him raise his eyebrows before standing up and walking away.

"Doctor!" she cried, quickly standing up and following him.

He stopped in his tracks and turned to face her. His eyebrows were still raised and he was smiling slightly.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.

He bit his lip and looked down at the coffee cup in her hand.

"That's hot." he told her.

Suddenly, she felt the searing heat burn through her hand which resulted in her letting go and dropping the cup. It shattered in the floor which attracted the immediate attention of the cleaners.

Clara stared down at her hand and began to rub over the marks that had formed suddenly.

She frowned and looked up at the Doctor.

"Why didn't I feel that?" she asked.

The Doctor looked down at her. "You tell me." he challenged.

The Nurse on duty saw that they were getting much to close for her liking so she made her way over.

"Is there a problem here?" she questioned.

The Doctor's head snapped towards her.

"As a matter of fact, there is." he began, "I want to know this, and I want to know it now! What have you done to my Clara?"

The Nurse frowned and looked at the brown haired woman stood next to him who she assumed was Clara. She had absolutely no idea what he was talking about as she had never seen him or the woman before in her life.

"We have done nothing." she assured him.

"Be aware I am being very calm while I say this." he warned her, "Hurting a loved one is enough to make anyone angry, God knows what it could do to me. Now, whatever you've done to Clara, I want it reversed."

The Nurse gulped. This man was serious about whatever was wrong but she literally hadn't a clue what he was on about.

"Sir, we have done nothing." she reassured him.

"If I find out you're lying…" he warned, "Be very, _very_ afraid."

The Doctor turned to Clara and looked deep into his eyes. He was just about to question her when a buzzer went off in the room and a collection of identical holograms activate on podiums dotted throughout the room.

"_Welcome to Caremaine Hospital." _they all greeted in unison, _"If you are just joining us, we hope you have a short but pleasant stay. Our heath care is offered to a wide range of species. If you're ill, we'll do out best to accommodate you…"_

That was the last part of the puzzle.

"Oh… Of course." realised the Doctor.

Clara frowned. "What is it?" she questioned.

The Doctor suddenly flipped out his sonic screwdriver and scanned her. Exactly what he expected was shown in the results. He then scanned the surroundings and picked up the signal he was looking for. He took off, letting his screwdriver lead the way.

"Doctor?" asked Clara as he began to run down the corridor to the other departments.

"I'm coming Clara…" he said to himself, "_Don't worry._"

x-[]-x

The Doctor raced down the corridor until he reached a room labelled 'Private'. The Doctor gave no second thought and entered it, closely followed by 'Clara'. They entered to see an array of different technology scattered throughout the room. Some pieces were way too advanced for the time period yet some looked as if they belonged to 20th Century Earth.

"What is this place?" asked Clara.

"Storage cupboard." replied the Doctor as he made his way over to a monitor on the wall, "And if I'm right… this'll lead to you."

Clara frowned. "Me?" she asked.

The Doctor quickly flicked a switch on the monitor which revealed a hidden doorway in the wall. He swiftly entered the secret room which contained a harness and lots of medical equipment.

"Oh Clara, I'm so sorry." he cried as he ran over to the harness.

Clara, the real Clara, was strapped inside it and was attached to a medical monitor. She was dressed in a white medical gown with some sort of device positioned directly above her head which was keeping her heavily sedated.

The other Clara entered the room and was shocked by what she saw.

"What… What is this?" she asked.

The Doctor stopped trying to break the signal and turned to face her.

"That's you there." he replied referring to the unconscious version of herself lying in the harness, "And you're just a holographic projection."

Clara could believe what she was hearing. "No…" she objected as she shook her head, "I'm real, I mean… I can feel… Holograms can't feel!"

"You're not real." he repeated, "That device above your head is extracting your memories and pumping them into the holographic projectors, making you believe you were real and with me while in actual fact, you were in here… You still are."

"But… I felt that cup burn my hand…" she remembered.

She turned away and began to rub her forehead, struggling to understand what he was telling her.

"See?" asked the Doctor, "Normally you wouldn't struggle to understand any of this."

Clara turned around. "Why am I struggling?" she asked.

The Doctor smiled. "You, Clara Oswald, are much smarter than your average human." he explained, "The computer memory can't keep up with you."

She sighed and bit her lip. "Why can I still feel?" she questioned.

"Certain holograms, like the ones in this hospital, are made of matter… just like people." he told her, "You can feel because people can feel."

"So, how come I couldn't feel the coffee burn me straight away?" she asked.

The Doctor sighed. "Remember at the table when you flinched?" he enquired.

She nodded. "Yeah." she recalled, "It was as if something was being stabbed into my side…"

The Doctor bit his lip. "That's probably what happened." he continued, "Because of that they turned up your pain threshold so you wouldn't feel… whatever it was that they were doing to you."

"So… when you gave me the coffee, my pain threshold had been amplified?" she asked.

The Doctor nodded. "Hence, you didn't feel it until you focused on it."

Clara sighed and looked down at her real self in the harness.

"What were they doing to me?" she asked.

"I intend to find out." he assured her, "As soon as I get you out of this contraption."

The Doctor swiftly began to shut down the system with his sonic screwdriver. Moments later, the holographic Clara faded into nothingness and the real Clara burst awake.

"Its alright." the Doctor reassured her as she began to panic, "I've got you…"

x-[]-x

A few minutes after Clara had been disconnected from the harness, the Doctor began to search through the databanks for any clue about what they were trying to do with her. Clara herself was glad to be her real self again. She hadn't liked how the Doctor had looked at her when she was the hologram so now she was much more content.

"Doctor?" she asked after a moment.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"In Ward 13… were all the patients there holograms?" she questioned.

The Doctor looked up at her. To be honest, he hadn't actually given any though to the ward as he had been looking for her.

"I guess so." he agreed.

"And that Nurse?" she asked.

"Probably." he responded.

"Then why was she programmed to be scared of you?" she asked, "And who programmed them all?"

"Those are two very good questions Clara Oswald." said a voice which appeared from behind them, "And it's only fair that you get to know the answers."

The Doctor and Clara quickly looked towards the doorway and saw a figure stood there. The light was hiding its face but from the posture, the Doctor assumed it was a woman.

He quickly made his way over to Clara and took up his position in front of her. There was no way he was going to let anybody get to her again.

The figure approached them, getting closer and closer to the threshold of the light.

The Doctor and Clara's eye widened when they say who it was.

"Matron Winters?" the Doctor cried.

"Winters." she corrected, "Do you honestly think I'd work in a dump like this place?"

Winters looked around the Doctor and towards Clara who was sat on the workbench as she still hadn't got all her energy back yet.

"Aww…" she cooed, "Clara Oswin Oswald: The Woman Twice Dead."

Clara frowned and gulped. She couldn't tell if that was a fact or a threat.

Winters then turned and looked at the Doctor.

"Tell me Doctor, how would you feel if today became the third and final time?" she questioned.

"You won't touch her." he said sternly.

Winters raised her eyebrow and smirked. "You've very protective of her." she pointed out.

The Doctor's lips tightened. He didn't know what her problem was, and he really didn't know how Clara was involved.

"What's your problem?" he questioned.

"She will bring the BarnMal." she told him.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "BarnMal?" he questioned.

Winters' jaw dropped slightly. "You don't know what that is, do you?" she asked with a smirk.

The Doctor just stood there and tried to devise a way out which wouldn't put anybody's life in danger.

"What were you doing to her in here?" he asked.

"Preventing the BarnMal." she responded.

"And what's the 'BarnMal' when it's at home?" he asked.

"The BarnMal will mark the fall of every high civilisation and the rise of every low one. I cannot allow that to happen." she explained.

"But what is it?" asked the Doctor, "An event? A person? A war? What?!"

She smirked, clearly enjoying the fact that she knew something the famous 'Doctor' didn't.

"Something what must be prevented." she explained before she pulled out a disruptor.

She aimed it at the Doctor. "If I have to kill you, I won't hesitate." she told him, "Now move."

"No…" refused the Doctor.

He quickly used his screwdriver to knock the device out of her hand before grabbing Clara's hand and pulling her out the door. Together, they ran back down the corridor, through the café and towards the TARDIS.

Clara's was freezing in her gown and as she had no shoes on her feet, she soon discovered how cold the floor actually was. Just as they began to head down the corridor towards the TARDIS, Clara felt a crippling pain surge through her abdomen and pelvis. She yelped which made the Doctor suddenly stop and hold her up as she doubled over in pain.

"Clara?!" he cried, "What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure…" she breathed.

The Doctor turned to see Winters approaching them. Realising she'd soon be in shooting distance; he quickly lifted Clara off her feet and ran towards the TARDIS. He clicked his fingers in order to open it and entered before slamming the door shut with his foot.

He sat Clara down on the sofa next to the console and knelt down in front of her. The pain had eased but unfortunately for her, it wasn't gone.

"How you feeling?" he asked.

"I've been better." she responded.

He rose to his feet and kissed the top of her head. "I'll make you a drink."

The Doctor scanned her not long after returning with her freshly made tea. He discovered that the pain was being caused from where some sort of needle had penetrated her abdomen, probably the one she had felt while in her holographic form. Luckily it hadn't caused any permanent damage but for a while at least, he knew one thing, they were going to have to lay off the running.


	15. Rodeo and Julius

Chapter 15: Rodeo and Julius

It had been two days since the incident at Caremaine Hospital. Clara still wasn't back to full strength as of yet so the Doctor was living up to his title for probably the first time for centuries. He didn't like the idea of just drifting in deep space doing nothing but as the reason was because of Clara's health, he didn't mind that much.

For the past two days, they had spent most of their time talking. The Doctor was actually glad of the opportunity as it gave him the chance to get to know her better. Usually he got to know his companions through crazy, life-risking adventures so it was a nice change. The only thing he didn't like was the fact that time was passing normally, too slow and in the right order.

He returned to the control with another cup of tea for her. Over the last few days he had become an expert tea maker and he now knew her order off by heart: two sugars and milk, but not too strong.

"Here you are." he said, passing the mug to her.

She was sat on the sofa chair with her legs curled up next to her and a blanket was covering her up to her waist. She looked up and smiled as she took the mug off him.

"Thanks." she replied.

He smiled and leant back on the console as she took a sip. Even now, he was completely captivated by her beauty. He'd tried to ignore his feelings for weeks but he couldn't and that made him very be angry with himself. She was human… why couldn't his hearts accept that?

"Doctor?" asked Clara, breaking through his thoughts.

"Yeah?" he questioned.

He noticed her hesitance as she was about to speak. Whatever she wanted to say, it was obviously troubling her.

"What is it?" he asked.

Clara sighed. "What did Winters mean… when she said I was The Woman Twice Dead?" she enquired.

The Doctor gulped but as soon as Clara looked up at him, he shrugged his shoulders as if he didn't actually know.

"No idea." he lied convincingly.

However, he did. He couldn't help but speculate about her and how she somehow ended up being in three different times. She was a mystery, an impossible woman, and he knew one day he would find out who exactly she was.

He looked down at her once again. She still looked as if she wanted to ask something but was afraid too.

"Clara, what is it?" he asked, "What's wrong?"

"You never… told me what Winters tried to do to me." she pointed out.

The Doctor gulped slightly before smiling. "That's because I don't know." he lied.

"Yeah ya do Doctor, I'm not stupid." she protested, "Just tell me… please."

He smiled weakly. "You don't need to worry about it." he assured her.

"Doctor…" she whispered, "Please, tell me."

"Clara…" he began.

"Doctor!" she cried, "If it were you, wouldn't you wanna know?"

The Doctor sighed. "She…" he began but hesitated, "She…"

He was struggling to find the words to use. He wasn't trying to sugar-coat it but he was unsure how to explain it to her.

He bit his lip and sat down on the sofa next to her. Clara's eyes hadn't left him. She was a little worried as he was struggling to explain it to her.

"She was… trying to stop you… you know?" he attempted to say before giving in, hoping she had grasped the hint.

Clara frowned. "Stop me, what?" she questioned.

The Doctor fidgeted in his seat. "Stop you… having… children." he complete, "God that was hard to word…"

Clara's confusion doubled in a matter of seconds. "What?" she asked, "Why?"

The Doctor shook his head. "I don't know." he admitted.

Clara's hand fell to her stomach. She'd always wanted children, being a mother was her ultimate ambition in life. The idea of having that opportunity taken away from her made her skin crawl.

"Everything's okay, right?" she questioned.

The Doctor turned to her and smiled. "Yeah." he replied.

"Promise?" she said.

"Clara, I wouldn't lie about something like that." he assured her.

Clara nodded and looked down towards her flat abdomen. She desperately didn't understand why Winters tried to stop her from having children… It's not like she would for a long time, especially as she was travelling with the Doctor.

"I don't understand why…" she breathed.

The Doctor sighed. "Nor me." he admitted.

He turned to look at Clara. She was lost in her thoughts, travelling deeper and deeper into her own little world. He could see that she was racing through the information she had just learnt about and it was eating away at her mind… and heart. He knew how much she wanted to be a mother one day so the idea of almost not being able to must have been heartbreaking.

"Hey, come here." he whispered, pulling her towards him.

Her head fit into the crook of his neck perfectly and they just sat there for a few minutes in complete silence. Clara found it comforting being so close to him. No matter how bad things got, as long as he was with her, she always felt safe.

x-[]-x

"So, where are we going?" asked Clara.

She was still sat on the sofa, watching the Doctor dash around the console like a child on Christmas morning. However, it had taken a lot of persuading on her part to result in him acting like that.

She knew that he was getting bored of doing nothing so she had told him to take her somewhere. He had refused countless times as she wasn't fully fit but after a slight heated debate; they'd finally agreed to go somewhere 'safe'. She knew that finding a 'safe' place to go was very unlikely as she had learnt that wherever the Doctor was, trouble usually wasn't far away.

However, she was glad it had sparked him back to life. Seeing his face light up as he tried to find an appropriate destination was magical. He was like a child looking for a single toy hidden within a ball pit; he was having loads of fun but still focused on searching for what he wanted.

He quickly looked to Clara after something popped up on the screen.

"Do you fancy a trip to see 'Shackspere's 'Rodeo and Julius'? he asked, laughing at his words in the process.

Clara frowned but laughed along with the Doctor. "You mean 'Shakespeare's _Romeo _and _Juliet_?" she asked.

The Doctor shook his head, unable to stop smiling. "No." he confirmed before looking back towards the screen, "It's on the planet Cravet. Its their belief about what the play's like… Do you wanna take a look?"

Clara thought about it and let her curiosity get the best of her. She had never really enjoyed Shakespeare while at school but she had a strong feeling that 'Rodeo and Julius' would be good considering the character's names weren't right… or the author's for that matter.

She smiled and looked over at him. "Go on then."

x-[]-x

Clara had found herself in a rather metallic looking theatre. The stage was a block of dark metal at the end of the room and was surrounded by a red curtain. The seats in front of the stage looked metallic but she discovered as soon as she took her seat that they were actually quite soft and comfy. The theatre itself was hexagonal shaped and quite dimly lit.

"This is bizarre." she stated.

The Doctor laughed and stretched his legs out slightly. "Would you believe this is supposed to be an 'accurate' recreation of an Elizabethan Theatre?"

Her reaction was priceless and the Doctor couldn't help but laugh.

"No way!" she said, "This looks more like Area 51."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow. "And how do you know what Area 51 looks like?" he asked.

"Oh alright you…" she began, "It looks like Area 51 from _films_."

The Doctor laughed. "Just wait 'til you see the play." he told her.

Clara began to think about the likely events that were probably going to happen.

"Is it anything like the original?" she asked, hoping he would say 'yes'.

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know." he said, "Were Romeo and Juliet forced into an arranged marriage by _Prince Montalet… _and was Juliet unconditionally in love with _Lord Paris_?"

Clara's jaw dropped and she turned to face The Doctor.

"Please tell me you're pullin' me leg?" she asked.

The way the Doctor laughed at that point confirmed to her that he was telling the truth.

"Oh God… what 'ave I got myself into?" she cried.

"Well, you'll be able to laugh." the Doctor told her, "Don't worry about that."

Clara sighed. "I take it they think _A Midsummer Night's Dream _is the tragedy out of the two of them?"

The Doctor frowned and scratched his head, emphasising his sarcasm.

"A Midsummer Night's Dream?" he asked, over exaggerating his mockery, "I've never heard of such a play. Are you referring to 'A Middle Season Nightmare'?"

Clara rolled her eyes. "Please tell me that's not what they think it's called…" she almost begged.

The Doctor laughed and turned towards the stage as the lights dimmed.

Clara watched as a humanoid alien suddenly appeared centre stage and began to address the audience. He was dressed as a beefeater and was stood as if he were praying.

"_Two households, both alike in dignity,_

_In fair Veltronia, where we start this bit…"_

Clara didn't take her eyes of the man but she leant closer to the Doctor.

"Veltronia?" she questioned, "Seriously?!"

The Doctor smiled and tried to disguise his amusement. He had a strong feeling he was going to enjoy Clara's horror of the play more than the performance itself.

"… _Where clean water cleans unclean hands alike._

_From forth the fatal lions of these two lovers…"_

Clara couldn't believe what she was watching. If Shakespeare could see this, he'd be spinning in his grave.

"Oh, kill me now…" she pleaded as the life was drained from her mind.

The Doctor laughed once again. "I'll pass thanks."


	16. Relatively Safe

Chapter 16: Relatively Safe

The performance had only just reached the scene where Juliet, or rather 'Julius', was introduced for the first time.

"_Noose, where's my daughter? Call her forward to us…"_

Clara had found some of the scenes quite entertaining, especially as the cast were actually struggling to remember their lines. She's also had had to assume and accept certain aspects of the play which were clearly wrong and far out. For example, she had had to accept that the 'Nurse' was known as the 'Noose' to in this version of the story.

She couldn't express her relief when the first Act was over and there was an interval. As the lights lit up, the Doctor turned to face her.

"Enjoying it?" he questioned, already sure that he knew the answer.

Clara slowly turned her head and raised her eyebrow. He saw the apathy plastered across her face and he would have sworn that if looks could kill, he would have been well into his next regeneration cycle by now.

"How long is this play?" she questioned him after a moment.

"Well, each Act is about half an hour." he told her, "So only another two hours at most."

Clara's eyes widened and she sighed as she slumped back into her chair. The Doctor was about to say something when he suddenly felt something vibrate in the inner pocket of his jacket. He quickly reached inside it and retrieved his sonic screwdriver.

Clara's eyes lit up and she sat up straight.

"That was weird." stated the Doctor as he examined the device, "It's never done that before."

"What did it do?" she asked.

The Doctor looked at her and back to his device. "It shuddered." he explained.

Clara shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe it's tryin' to tell ya somethin'" she suggested.

The Doctor frowned and turned to look at her. "It's not alive." he clarified.

"Stranger things 'ave happened." she said.

At that moment, the lights in the theatre began to dim, signalling the beginning of the next Act.

"Oh…" she moaned, "It better get better!"

The Doctor smiled and put his screwdriver away. He then began to watch the actors continue with the show. He had to admit that even he was bored of the play but his delight every time Clara made a comment made it worth it.

x-[]-x

The play continued, drained the life out of Clara and the Doctor second after second. If it hadn't been for Clara's comments every few minutes, the Doctor was sure they would both have died of boredom.

It wasn't that he didn't like the play; to be honest he found it quite amusing as it was so wrong compared to the original. However, he had seen it so many times in his life that he knew it like clockwork.

However, the day was about to change.

As the actors continued with their dialogue, a robot type figure stepped onto the stage. The applause from the audience echoed throughout the room, even Clara sat up.

"Ooh, this looks interesting." she stated.

However, it concerned the Doctor. He knew that this figure was unrelated to the play.

He looked up at it and examined every detail. It was tall, about six foot at least and dressed in a suit of metal. The head was covered by a matching helmet and it seemed to be looking directly at him and Clara.

"That's not right…" whispered the Doctor.

Clara turned to the Doctor. She could hear the worry in his voice and when she looked at him, she saw it painted over his face too. She turned back and looked at the figure.

"What is it?" she asked.

The Doctor perched himself on the edge of seat. He was about to reach into his pocket and retrieve his sonic screwdriver when the figure began to raise its arm towards them.

The Doctor's eyes widened and he quickly dove towards Clara, pushing her to the floor and narrowly being missed by laser blasts the figure fired at them. Clara cried out as she hit the floor while the Doctor began to usher her along the row.

The audience in the theatre began to panic, screaming as the robot alien continued to shoot in the direction he believed the Doctor and Clara were. A few seats began to burn and the petrified audience attempted to leave the room. However, the doors wouldn't open.

"Brilliant…" muttered the Doctor when he realised.

He and Clara were still hidden behind the chairs. They daren't stand just in case the alien saw where they were. They both knew theatre chairs wasn't sufficient protection as one laser blast would kill them stone dead but it was all they had.

The Doctor couldn't help but notice the similarity between that event and the time he had met this version of Clara in that graveyard. Back then they were being shot at and hiding behind something which was also insufficient protection.

"Just like old times." he said to her as they crawled around the end of one row and down the next one.

Clara frowned and dropped fully to the floor as a laser blast exploded near to them.

"You're thinkin' about that now?!" she cried.

"Well I can't think about it after we've been dreadfully killed, can I?" he queried.

She rolled her eyes and continued to crawl until she felt a wave of pain surge through her abdomen.

"Ahh…" she yelped before stopping and clenching her stomach.

"Clara?" asked the Doctor as he crawled beside her.

She tried to breathe through the pain. "I wasn't ready for this…" she whispered, "I thought we agreed somewhere 'safe'!"

The Doctor bit his lip and looked around; making sure the robot couldn't see them.

"Well, it was relatively safe." the Doctor said.

"The word there being _'was'_." she objected.

He was just about to assist Clara along the row when the robot suddenly appeared at the end of the row, directly in front of them. There was no way out this time… it was all happening to quickly…

The Doctor quickly closed his eyes and expected his life to end seconds later. However, instead of dying, he felt an intense force blow him over.

He opened his eyes seconds later to see Clara on top of him. She looked just as shocked as he felt. He pushed her up off him and sat up. He was amazed to see the alien literally torn apart on the floor… undeniably dead.

The Doctor's breathing was heavy but when he looked up, he saw a figure towering above him, extended its hand to him. He frowned but then accepted. Once he was on his feet, he helped Clara up before looking around. There were now six mysterious figures in the room, all dressed in black uniforms and wearing helmets. The one who had helped him up was obviously the one in charge.

"Helmets off everyone." she ordered.

The Doctor frowned as she spoke. He knew that voice… he was sure of it.

He watched as she removed her helmet and revealed a mass of long brown hair tied up in a ponytail. She was wearing dark glasses but seconds later, she removed them.

The Doctor's eyes widened when he saw her face properly. "Bronwin?" he questioned.

She held her helmet under her arm and the smile which was displayed on her face changed as soon as she shook her head.

"I think you've got me confused with someone else mate." she said, "I'm Commander Raine Fil, but you can call me Raine."

The Doctor frowned. That was Bronwin who stood before him, he was sure of it. She was literally identical to her. She had the same characteristics, the same posture, the same shaped eyes, the same little mole on her left cheek, even the same voice!

It wasn't just the Doctor who was shocked either, Clara was too. That was Bronwin… that was the woman who saved them from that figure the day she had met the Doctor…

Raine frowned at their confusion before walking away and meeting up with her team who were dealing with the traumatized audience.

"Doctor… that's Bronwin." said Clara, the shock inhibiting her to say much more than that.

The Doctor gulped. "Apparently not…" he said before shaking his head, "That's not possible…"

Clara looked up at the Doctor who was staring intensely at that mysterious woman. He looked as if he was seeing a ghost.

"Who is she?" Clara asked, "_What_ is she?"

The Doctor shook his head. "I don't know."

His thoughts began to race through his head. Was there something happening, something bigger than what he was seeing? Was the reason Clara was dotted throughout the universe the same reason this Bronwin/Raine person was too?

x-[]-x

The Doctor had made every attempt to put the pieces of the puzzle together yet he had gotten nowhere. However, he had made connections between Raine and Bronwin. Apart from the fact that they where identical, he had realised they were both types of security officers. Maybe that was important…

While the rest of Raine's crew evacuated the audience and cleared up the alien's remains, the Doctor took the opportunity to speak to her.

"So who are you exactly?" he asked.

"I told you." she recalled, "Commander Raine Fil."

"Fil." he repeated, "Is that short for something?"

Raine frowned. "That's a bit personal, sir." she pointed out.

The Doctor ignored her and continued with his enquiry.

"It isn't Filiadeo by any chance, is it?" he asked.

Raine's eye widened and she pulled the Doctor away from the crowd of people behind them. They ended up leaning on the stage before she stopped and looked up at him.

"How the hell do you know that?!" she shouted in a whispered tone, desperately hoping none of the others could hear her, "I've never told anyone my surname before."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows as she had just answered his question without realising.

"So it is Filiadeo then?" he asked.

Raine nodded. "How do you know me?" she questioned.

The Doctor shook his head. "I don't know you." he confirmed, "But I do know someone like you."

Raine frowned. "I don't understand…" she admitted.

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders and smiled weakly. "Neither do I."

x-[]-x

The Doctor and Clara left the theatre not long after. However, instead of having a fun and relaxing day, all that was left in their heads were a number of confusing and unanswered questions.

The Doctor, in attempt to take his mind off things, turned to Clara when they got back to the TARDIS.

"So," he started, "Did you enjoy the play?"

Clara considered it. "Well compared to the rest of the day, that was pretty good." she admitted.

The Doctor smiled before closing the door and removing his jacket.

"Doctor, can I make a request?" she asked as he hung his jacket over the bar near to the door.

He stopped in front of her and smiled. "Yeah sure." she replied.

"The next time we agree to go 'somewhere safe'," she began, "Can we at least go somewhere _relatively safe_?"

The Doctor laughed and kissed her forehead.

"Yeah sure." he responded before winking at her, "Ready to go?"

Clara nodded and made her way over to the console as he began to pilot it. Deep down, she was hoping to have a nice and relaxing trip somewhere… one adventure which was danger-free. However, she had a feeling that that was just a fantasy rather than reality…


	17. The Word Impossible

Chapter 17: The Word Impossible

Clara was happy to say she was finally back to full health. She'd grown extremely bored of being stuck in the TARDIS for the last week. Ever since the incident at the theatre on Cravet, the Doctor had been reluctant to take her anywhere in fear of her safety, although she didn't know that was the reason why.

Clara felt herself fill with excitement as the Doctor landed the TARDIS somewhere. She was unable to contain it as he led her to the door.

"Oh, I've missed this." she told him.

The Doctor smiled as they stepped out of the box. However, his smile transformed into a frown when he saw the location they had landed in.

"What…?" he asked, "That's not right!"

He quickly dashed back into the TARDIS and rechecked his coordinates. His confusion grew as he read through them.

Clara grew slightly worried and stuck her head back through the door.

"What is it?" she asked, "What's wrong?"

The Doctor looked up at her before returning to look at the screen.

"Something's pulled the TARDIS off course." he explained before rubbing his chin and shaking his head, "This is impossible…"

Clara stepped into the TARDIS and closed the door.

"Is the TARDIS having another tantrum?" she asked, attempting to lighten the mood.

The Doctor looked up and smiled at her. He was grateful for the distraction but he couldn't ignore what was happening.

"That's the second time in the last few weeks that something's pulled her off course." he stated as he stroked the console, somehow hoping that would help him understand what had happened.

Clara made her way over to him. "The mine?" she asked, refreshing her memory.

He nodded. "I never found out what that was." he remembered, "If whatever that was is somehow here…"

Clara could see his mind racing. The amount of minor mysteries and unanswered questions they had uncovered over the past few weeks must have been taking their toll on him.

"Hey…" she soothed, placing her hand on top of his, "Don't make yourself ill over it."

The Doctor turned his head and looked down at her. The smile painted on her face couldn't disguise her concern. He could tell that she was beginning to worry about him.

He smiled and pulled his hand away from hers in order to push a piece of fallen hair back behind her ear.

"Why do you have to be… so amazing?" he asked, his voice soft and gentle.

Clara smiled. "That's my job." she told him, "Someone 'as to keep you in check."

He sighed and looked away from her. She made him feel miraculous every time she smiled at him. There was a word in his head that he was struggling to accept when it came to her. He'd used it before, countless times, but never this intensely… well, maybe with one person, but she was long gone…

He looked towards her once again. She smiled up at him until she saw him staring at her in a way which was quite puzzling. It wasn't a scary or awkward stare, but it was mystifying.

"Why you lookin' at me like that?" she questioned.

The Doctor looked away and shook his head. "Sorry…" he apologised.

Clara frowned. "No, why were you lookin' at me like that?" she asked once again.

He faced her and raised his eyebrow. "Looking at you, how?" he questioned.

"Like… Like you were looking _deeper _into me…" she attempted to explain, "Sorry, I dunno how describe it, it was just… weird."

He chuckled slightly. "Sorry." he apologised once again.

Clara looked up at him and tilted her head to the side as her mind began to wander.

"What d'ya know about me?" she asked.

The Doctor frowned slightly at her question yet his smile remained fixed on his face.

"What?" he enquired.

"What d'ya know about me that you won't say?" she asked.

"What are you on about?" he asked, his smile beaming away.

"I know you know somethin'." she stated, "I mean the day I met you; you knew my name before I even told ya."

The Doctor leant back on the bar behind him, not taking his eyes off her. He could see the cogs in her mind hard at work, trying to fit the pieces of the puzzle together.

"Well?" she asked.

"Well what?" he teased, pretending not to know what she wanted to know in order to change the subject of the conversation.

Clara raised her eyebrow and the Doctor watched as her playful smile formed.

"You know what." she said as she advanced closer to him.

The Doctor stood up straight, towering over her. The closer she got, the more his hearts began to beat. It felt so wrong yet it felt so right.

"Do I?" he questioned.

Clara bit her lip, trying to mask her desire to kiss him. His proximity to her made her heart flutter in a way it never had before.

Their friendship was so special to her and although she didn't want to jeopardise it, she wanted nothing more than to tell him how she felt. However, she had no idea if he felt the same way… She didn't want to cause any awkwardness between them but it was getting harder to hide her feelings. She'd always been a very flirtatious person so in her defence, she was doing well to keep them as well contained as she was.

She swiftly pulled away, much to her disappointment, but rather that than ruin their friendship. She decided against returning to their previous conversation so she settled with returning to the reason why the TARDIS had landed, wherever they were.

"So Doctor?" she began as she looked up towards the scanner, "Why did the TARDIS bring us here?"

The Doctor shook his head and snapped back to reality after being hypnotised by her splendour. He then made his way over to her and looked up at the scanner.

"I don't know." he admitted, "Technically speaking, it's impossible."

Clara frowned. "I don't like that word." she stated.

The Doctor smiled and looked down at her. "What?" he asked, "'Impossible'? I thought you liked _impossible_ things?"

"I do." she agreed, "I just don't like the word 'impossible'… its two letters too long."

The Doctor laughed slightly. "Oh?" he questioned.

Clara grinned up at him. "You see, the reason why I like impossible things is this: When you find something impossible, you actually discover it is possible and when something is possible, there's always an adventure that leads you to it."

The Doctor smiled. "And you like the adventure?" he asked.

She nodded. "Absolutely!" she cried, "How borin' would life be without it?"

The Doctor nodded in agreement. "But what about when it gets dangerous?" he questioned.

Clara's smile expanded and she winked up at him. "The more dangerous it gets, the more I love it." she admitted, "Is that bad?"

"Depends what your definition of 'bad' is." he pointed out.

Clara smiled. "Let's take a look outside." she said, "Then I'll tell you what my definition of bad is."

The Doctor smiled before running down to the door and opening it.

"After you." he insisted.


	18. The Prison Puzzle Piece

Chapter 18: The Prison Puzzle Piece 

They stepped out of the box into a very dimly lit room. It was pretty large in size and oddly cold. There were no obvious windows or doors and the only light in the room had no visible source.

"What is this place?" asked Clara.

She could just about make out the Doctor shaking his head. "No idea." he admitted.

They moved away from the TARDIS slowly, trying to make out any details about where they were.

"Is it dangerous?" Clara asked.

The Doctor couldn't actually see her but he could tell that she was smiling by the sound of her voice.

"I'd love to say no." he told her, "But probably."

"Oh, I certainly 'ope so." she said.

The Doctor rolled his eyes and continued to feel his way around, looking for some sort of monitor or switch to light the room up a bit.

Clara also attempted to feel around herself. She slowly felt along the wall, hoping to find something to turn on the light. She wasn't scared of the dark, not at all, however the experience was reminding her very much of her latest nightmares.

All of her nightmares seemed to be focused around two or three similar events. She had no idea what the events were, she couldn't even make out what they were as dreams never seem to make sense while you're awake. However there were always two common factors: they'd end in her death and it would always be in the dark… always…

Clara continued along the wall until suddenly, she bumped into something. She gasped as her back hit whatever it was.

"Sorry! It's just me…" apologised the Doctor, "If I could see in this light, that wouldn't have happened."

Clara breathed out as soon as she heard the Doctor's voice.

"Well, you certainly know 'ow to frighten a girl." she congratulated.

The Doctor laughed slightly before continuing to feel for a light switch. Surely he'd find one soon.

"Ahh… gotcha!" he cried.

The lights suddenly activated and revealed their position. They were stood in a large-ish square room, probably five by five metres. The half they were stood in was open while the half opposite them contained another level which looked like an enormous balcony. There were two sets of stairs up to it; one set either end of the room. Underneath the balcony there was a bed, sofa and small desk. The upper level was where the only door was located, right in the centre of the far wall. There were also two small windows near to the door, both which were covered by bars.

Clara frowned as looked around. "Funny sort of bedroom." she commented, "What exactly is this place?"

"It looks like a cell of some sort." he replied.

He then turned to her, his smile beaming as he held his arm out to her.

"Up the _apples and pears governor_?" he asked, doing his best to speak in a Cockney accent.

Clara raised her eyebrow. "You tryin' to be funny?" she questioned.

He smiled down at her as she linked arms with him.

"Two can play at that game." she warned him, "Come on then_ governor, _let's get up the_ apple and pears _and find a way out this_ flowery dell._"

The Doctor frowned but could stop his smile braking through. "What?" he asked.

Clara smirked. "That's payback for tryin' to pull somethin' off that you don't know." she told him.

The Doctor rolled his eyes and they began to make their way up the stairs. He wasn't used to people being able to keep up with him so he loved it when Clara did.

As they reached the door, the Doctor tried to open it. Meanwhile, Clara began to look around at the room. Her eyes lit up and her jaw dropped slightly when her eyes fell onto the wall which they had previously had their backs to.

It was covered in the most beautiful symbols and patterns that she had ever seen. It looked like some sort of mural, carved and made with obvious care and attention.

There where many symbols dotted over it, almost as if they were words but as she couldn't read them, she assumed they were just doodles. There was also a range of circular patterns. They looked quite familiar to but she couldn't picture where she had seen them before.

"Wow…" she breathed in awe.

The Doctor quickly turned to see what had caught her attention. His eyes widened and even his jaw dropped when he saw it.

He knew those doodles; he knew them all too well. He knew them as easily as he knew himself. Those drawings, those words, they were stuff of legends, the stuff of nightmares. There was a reason the TARDIS hadn't translated them, it didn't need to. Those drawings, those words should have been burning in the stars, not scrawled over a prison wall!

"That's impossible…" he breathed.

Clara briefly looked up at him before returning her attention back to the wall.

"Why?" she enquired, "What is it?"

The Doctor swiftly made his way back down to the bottom level and looked up at the wall. He ran his finger over some of the doodles in his reach, tracing them exactly.

Clara quickly made her way down to him.

"Doctor, what is it?" she asked.

He sighed as he digested the sight of them. He gulped before turning around to face her.

"It's Gallifreyan." he answered, almost as if he struggled to say the words, "It's a mixture of Old High Gallifreyan and Modern Gallifreyan…"

He turned back and examined the wall. Throughout all his time alone in the universe, he'd never seen a collection of Gallifreyan text on such a large-scale.

"Oh right…" said Clara as she approached him, "What's that?"

The Doctor turned to face her before realising that he'd never actually told her about his people or his planet before…

The Doctor smiled weakly and looked back at the writing.

"It's the language of the Timelords, well it was." he told her.

Clara nodded. "Right… And who are they?" she questioned.

The Doctor sighed. "Me… my people." he answered, "They were the Timelords… but they're all gone now. I'm the only one left."

Clara frowned. "You're the last of your kind?" she asked.

The Doctor nodded before returning to look over the writing.

"When they died, this went with them… the language." he continued, "I don't understand how it can be here. There's only one person I know who can write Gallifreyan, but she's gone now too…"

Clara gulped and felt her heart drop. She'd always known there were things he'd never told her about him but that felt like a sharp pain in her stomach. He was lonely; he was last of his kind. No matter how hard she tried, she'd never make up for that. Yes, she could keep him company, but she could never make up for an entire race…

"What happened?" she asked.

The Doctor looked up at her before staring down at his feet.

"There was a war…" he explained, "My planet… my people… the language… it was all destroyed. Everything burnt in a single moment…"

He laughed to himself slightly. "You have no idea how ironic that sounded." he said in a whisper, "A single 'moment'…"

Clara sighed and returned to look up at the symbols and patterns on the wall.

"And this was your language?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yeah." he replied.

"So, 'ow come I can't read it?" she asked, "I thought the TARDIS translated everythin'."

The Doctor shook his head. "Not Gallifreyan." he informed her.

Clara looked over at him. "Why?" she asked.

"The TARDIS itself is Gallifreyan." he told her, "It doesn't translate it, and before you ask, I don't know why. It just doesn't."

Clara smiled. "Can you read it?" she asked.

The Doctor sniggered. "Course I can read it!" he cried, "It's like you reading English."

Clara raised her eyebrows. "Okay Mr. Touchy…" she said, "What's it say?"

The Doctor sighed and once again began to read the wall.

"It's just graffiti." he answered, "It's just words… Love, Hate, Peace, Freedom, Hope…"

Clara noticed as the Doctor's voice suddenly drained to silence when his eyes fell on a particular symbol.

"Doctor?" she questioned, "Doctor, what is it?"

The Doctor gulped as he processed the word, a word which seemed to be the key to their latest mystery.

Clara looked up at it and then back at him.

"Doctor what does it say?" she enquired.

He managed to pull his eyes away from it before looking over at her.

"BarnMal…" he whispered, "It's says 'BarnMal'…"

Clara's eyes widened and she looked up at it. Although she couldn't read it, she couldn't deny that looking at it sent shivers down her spine. That word… it was following them.

She remembered back to the first time she heard it. It was when they were in Caremaine after the Doctor had found her. She specifically remembered Winters telling them about it and somehow, she was connected…

"_What's your problem?" The Doctor questioned Winters._

"_She will bring the BarnMal." she responded, referring to Clara._

_The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "BarnMal?" he questioned._

_Winters' jaw dropped slightly. "You don't know what that is, do you?" she asked with a smirk._

Clara could still see the hint of fear that Winters had towards the 'BarnMal' in her head. Whatever it was, Winters was certainly afraid of it…

"What is it Doctor?" she asked, "What is the 'BarnMal'?"

He shook his head. "No idea…" he admitted.

His words were suddenly interrupted as the door on the upper level swung open and someone entered. As the door closed, both Clara and the Doctor turned around and heard the woman speak through a speaker device by the side of the door.

"Thanks for the lift boys." she said cheekily, "I'll take tea at the usual time."

The Doctor's shook his head in disbelief. "Oh, come on…" he cried, "Surely not…"

Clara also stood in disbelief as she recognised that voice so she was sure he did too. She also recognised the woman herself. It couldn't be…

The young woman turned away from the door and removed her jacket. She placed it over the rail before noticing the two strangers stood in the centre of her cell adjacent to a big blue box.

Her smile soon faded into a frown.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked, "How did you get in here?"

Clara's eyes didn't leave the woman. Now she had seen her face, she couldn't believe her eyes. That woman, she was identical to two women she had met before, two women she knew as Bronwin and Raine.

"Doctor… 'ow the 'ell is this possible?" she asked in a whisper.

The Doctor was taken aback. Inside he was screaming! This was just another part of the mystery, a mystery which seemed to be following him around the universe.

Firstly he had met Clara… twice. Now he'd met this other woman, three times now. He had a feeling that somehow the entire mystery was linked to Clara as it all started after he met her, but he was still completely lost. Technically, it was impossible!

He found it quite strange. Usually he loved the idea of something impossible but this was too much, too much for even his mind to comprehend. This woman, whoever she was, had popped up in two different times already: once in Darchester, 2013 and once on Cravet, 2366. However this time she was in a cell with Gallifreyan writing scrawled all over the wall. How did _she_ know Gallifreyan?!

The Doctor shook his head and bit his lip. "I don't know…" he admitted to Clara.

The mysterious woman made her way down the stairs looking rather unimpressed.

"I'll ask you again, sunshine!" she said to the Doctor, "Who the hell are you?!"


	19. Faces in a Photo

Chapter 19: Faces in a Photo

The Doctor blinked a couple of times, trying to see if his eyes were fooling him or not. Clara noticed him struggling so decided to interject.

"Sorry." she apologised to the woman, "He's havin' a bit of a rough day."

The woman sniggered. "Aren't we all?" she asked, "Who are ya? How did you get in here?"

"I'm Clara and this is the Doctor." she introduced, "And you are?"

The woman frowned. She was unsure whether to answer or not but there was just something about these two people that she seemed to trust. They were familiar for some reason…

"The name's Nathalie." she answered.

Clara smiled. "Natalie?" she attempted to confirm.

"No." she objected, "Na-_th-_lie. You pronounce the _'th'_."

The Doctor smiled. "I used to have a friend called _'Nathalie'_…" he began, "I always liked that name."

The woman raised her eyebrow but couldn't disguise the smile on her face.

"How did ya get in here?" she questioned.

"Oh, we just… popped in." he replied.

Nathalie frowned. "Popped in?" she enquired, "You just _popped in _to the maximum security cell of the most well guarded prison in the entire universe?"

The Doctor's eyes widened. "Is this Stormcage?" he asked.

Nathalie scoffed before making her way over to the sofa and flopping down on it.

"I wish." she confessed, "Stormcage was nothing compared to this place. It was shut down centuries ago, ever since that woman was falsely charged with the murder of someone who never existed."

The Doctor gulped. He had a strong feeling he knew who that story was connected to.

"So where are we then?" he asked, bringing his attention back to the conversation he was having.

"Where 'ave you been?" she asked, "The largest containment facility in history…?"

The Doctor's jaw fell but his smile remained slightly. "Oh, don't tell me this is The Nexum Minor Facility..."

Nathalie winked at the Doctor and smiled. However, Clara's face formed a frown.

"What that?" she asked.

Nathalie looked over at Clara. "It's where you are, love." she explained, "This is the highest security cell in The Nexum Minor Facility, aka my home."

Clara frowned and gulped slightly. "What… what did you do?" she questioned, "To end up in here?"

Nathalie shrugged her shoulders and pulled her legs up to her chest.

"Nothing." she responded.

The Doctor's smiled morphed into a rather confused and disturbed frown.

"What do you mean you did 'nothing'?" he asked.

"Exactly that." she said.

"So what the hell gives them the right to lock you up?" he cried as a hint of anger began to build up inside him.

Nathalie shrugged her shoulders once again. "They're afraid of me…" she told them, "I dunno why."

"That doesn't give them the right to lock you up!" intervened Clara.

"Doesn't it?" asked Nathalie, "Apparently I'm dangerous. Isn't it best to keep dangerous things locked up?"

The Doctor stepped forwards, his head spinning with new information.

"Dangerous in what way?" he asked.

Nathalie sighed. "I dunno." she admitted, "But… I feel like I should be in here. I mean, I've been in here for as long as I can remember."

The Doctor was horrified. "Even as a child?" he queried.

Nathalie frowned as her thoughts began to wander through her mind.

"I… I don't remember being a child." she told them, "I only remember this place."

The Doctor rubbed his forehead before whipping out his sonic screwdriver and aiming it at her. She recoiled in horror and forced herself further back onto the chair.

"What the hell are you doing, you psycho?!" she cried.

"No, No, No… It's a scanner." he explained, "It won't hurt you, I promise."

Nathalie relaxed slightly before the Doctor initialised his first scan. He couldn't understand why she was identical to Bronwin and Raine. Maybe they were related, however, he severely doubted that… At least with Clara and her doppelgängers, they were all connected somehow. However, he couldn't see any obvious connections between Bronwin, Raine and Nathalie. Apart from the fact that Bronwin and Raine had the same surnames and were both types of security officers, he couldn't see any other similarities.

"So, 'ow long 'ave ya been 'ere?" Clara asked Nathalie as the Doctor tried to make heads or tails of the readings he was collecting.

Nathalie shrugged her shoulder. "'Bout seven years." she replied, "Give or take a few months."

"So… what do you do for fun?" she asked.

Clara saw her smile as she looked up towards the wall where the Gallifreyan writing was.

"That." she answered, "It's not much, but I like it. It relaxes me."

The Doctor looked over his screwdriver at her. "How do you know it?" he asked much more sharply than he intended.

However, Nathalie didn't notice as she was lost in the beauty of it.

"Dunno." she responded, "I've always known it. For as long as I can remember I've known it… Why? What is it?"

The Doctor bit his lip. "A language that's long dead." he explained, "I don't understand how you can know it… And I don't understand _you_."

Nathalie frowned. "And why's that?" she asked, intrigued by his frustration.

He pointed the screwdriver at her as he spoke. "Because you don't register on _this_." he said.

"Right…" she started, "So what?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes and laughed slightly. "Your attitude is amazing." he stated, "It's almost as bad as hers."

Clara attempted to look offended as he spoke but instead her smile broke through.

"I think I'll take that as a compliment." she said with her cheeky smile which he adored.

The Doctor smiled as he put his screwdriver away. He then turned to the wall, admiring the symbols which he had learnt as a child.

"Tell me, that word there." he said after a moment, referring to the 'BarnMal' symbol, "Do you know what that is?"

Nathalie stood up and looked up at it. She shook her head and looked over to the Doctor.

"No." she admitted.

The Doctor looked over at her. "So, why did you write it?" he questioned.

She shrugged her shoulder. "I dunno. It was in my head when I decided to do it."

"That's all?" he asked.

"That's all." she confirmed, "Why does it matter?"

The Doctor's attention snapped away from her and the smile once again returned to his face.

"It doesn't." he validated, "I was just curious, that's all."

Suddenly, a shrill whistle sounded throughout the cell, making Clara and the Doctor grasp their ears until it ended.

"What the 'ell was that?!" cried Clara.

Nathalie looked up towards the cell door. "Its tea time." she told them, "I dunno how you got in here, but you might wanna leave. The officers won't be happy if they find trespassers in here."

The Doctor smiled. "Is that basically your way of saying 'Get out because I want to eat my dinner?'" he asked.

Nathalie laughed slightly. "Yeah." she admitted, "I just didn't wanna be rude as I've only just met ya."

The Doctor smiled over at Clara. "I think we can take the hint." he told her, "Come on Clara."

Clara walked over to them and turned to Nathalie. "It's been nice to meet ya." she told her.

Nathalie smiled. "You too." she agreed.

The Doctor smiled. "Well goodbye." he told her, "But I have a feeling it won't be forever."

Nathalie smiled. "I certainly hope not." she admitted, "You're the only visitors I've ever had."

Clara laughed slightly. "Well, we'll see ya soon then." she said.

Nathalie watched as the two completely impossible yet amazing strangers entered that bizarrely small blue box. She couldn't explain why but she felt as if she was saying goodbye to old friends, like they were people she had known forever.

She smiled as they give her a quick wave before completely entering the box and closing the door behind them. She found it odd that they had both entered a rather small looking box but her eyes widened seconds later as the box suddenly began to phase away in perfect sync with a metallic noise that emanated throughout her cell. Her smile grew as it faded and once it had completely disappeared, she stood there for a few seconds, in complete awe of what had just happened.

Her thoughts were soon interrupted as the whistle sounded once again, calling her for her dinner. She rolled her eyes and made her way up the stairs. She approached the door and smiled as a hatch in the door slid open.

"Hello boys." she greeted to the two guards on the other side of the barrier.

The first man raised his eyebrow at her. "Miss Filiadeo." he acknowledged.

She smiled boldly at him. "Oh, Officer _Cando_." she greeted, "How's life?"

"Officer Carando." he corrected.

"I know dear." she explained, "Its called sarcasm. You should try it… but then again, you wouldn't want to spoil that solemn act of yours, would ya?"

The officer raised his head and looked through the gap at her.

Nathalie smiled. "So what's on the menu?" she questioned.

"There isn't a menu." he reminded her.

"Err, yes there is." she told him, "I remember when I _agreed _to enter this facility; I was given more rights than the other prisoners. You're not gonna break your word, are you?"

Carando gulped and sighed. "Hinklass Fruit Salad or Turkan Steak Pie?" he offered.

Natalie smiled. "That's better." she said, "And I'll take both."

Carando frowned. "You can't have both!" he protested.

"Erm, rights?!" she reminded him, "Besides, with the size of the meals that you serve in this place, I need both just to have a decent meal."

Nathalie watched as Carando nodded slightly to the other officer. Seconds later, the two meals materialised on a worktop to the left of the door.

Nathalie smiled and looked back at the officers out of the hatch.

"Thanks boys." she said before the hatch was closed off.

She sighed as she picked the bowls up and headed down the stairs to the small desk which she used as her dining table. She placed them down on the table but instead of sitting down to eat, she headed over to her bed.

She knelt down beside it and began to lift the mattress. In the top corner nearest to her, she reached over and retrieved a small piece of photo paper. She slowly lowered the mattress with one hand while looking at the photo she held in the other.

Her smile grew before she looked over the location where the TARDIS had landed.

"So it was you Doctor…" she said to herself before looking down at the image once again.

The image was one she had always had but she had never known who the two people in it were… until now.

She looked down at the two people smiling up at her. They definitely were them; she had no doubt about it. The two people in the photo were definitely the Doctor and Clara.


	20. Injury Time

Chapter 20: Injury Time 

Clara re-entered the control room after popping down to the kitchen and making her beloved soufflés. She held one proudly in her hands because after hours of baking, she'd finally made one worth living. However, to her disappointment, the Doctor didn't notice her enter the room. His eyes were still glued to the monitor, the exact same place they had been ever since she disappeared off to the kitchen four hours beforehand.

She rolled her eyes and smiled as she headed over to him. Still completely unnoticed, she glanced over his shoulder to see what it was he was so transfixed on. Just as she suspected, it was the woman who they had just encountered for the third time earlier that day.

There were three images of her on the screen, three from their previous encounters. The only visible difference was the outfits. The women themselves were all definitely identical.

Underneath each of the photos was information about each version of the woman. Firstly each version's name was written underneath, followed by the year they met her and then a small paragraph about their general history.

Clara sighed. "Starin' at that screen for four hours ain't gonna help ya get any closer to knowin' who she is, ya know?"

The Doctor was startled as her words sounded through his eardrums and as a result he jumped slightly before turning to face her.

He smiled before ending the display on the screen. "Yeah, you're right." he admitted, "She's just… really got to me, you know?"

Clara smiled weakly. "I can tell." she told him.

The Doctor was about to say something when his eyes fell on the freshly baked soufflé in her hands. He looked up at her and smiled.

"Another one?" he asked.

Clara nodded rapidly. "It's only Attempt Number 5." she said, "Or was it 6?"

The Doctor laughed and looked down at it. "It looks… delicious."

Clara raised her eyebrow as he began to examine the dish closely. She knew for a fact she couldn't make soufflés very well, to be honest, the only reason she made them was because she liked too. However, deep down she felt flattered that the Doctor was lying to her by saying that it looked nice even though it clearly wasn't edible.

She still hadn't mastered the art of cooking them correctly. If she didn't burn them they usually ended up undercooked. This one in particular was certainly undercooked. It was warm as you could see the heat rising off it, but the milk sauce was still slightly runny and she knew for a fact that she had put far too much sugar into it.

"Do you want some?" she asked.

The Doctor looked up at her and his heart melted when his eyes met hers. He couldn't offend her by saying 'no', no matter how much he didn't want to taste what she was holding. He looked back down at the dish once again.

"Um…" he hesitated, "Yeah okay."

Clara smiled and handed him the dish. He took it off her and brought his eyes down to it, closely examining the texture by looking at it from the side. Clara then got a spoon out of her apron pocket and handed it to him. She could tell that he didn't like the look of it but was honoured when he slowly began to dig the spoon into it.

He cautiously brought it to his lips and sniffed it. He could smell the sugar on it already. He then proceeded to blow it, cooling the heat that it was emitting. He smiled up at her before placing it in his mouth and tasting it for the first time.

Clara watched with a smile as he attempted to contain how much he didn't like it. He could taste the sickly sugar sliding down his throat, making his stomach turn slightly. However, after the main piece had made its way out of his mouth, he smiled.

"Lovely." he commented.

Clara bit her lip as he looked away to hide his remaining disgust as the sweetness faded from his mouth. She had a strong feeling that men, even alien men, would lie to someone they liked in order not to hurt their feelings and unknown to the Doctor, he had just unwillingly let that information slip.

"Do ya want anymore?" she asked.

The Doctor looked up at her and then back at the dish.

"Um…" he paused, "I'll… save it for later."

Clara took the dish from his lap and smiled as she turned away.

"Okay." she said with a smile before disappearing back to the kitchen.

x-[]-x

The Doctor had found the silence of the control room quite unsettling after Clara had left so not long after, he decided to head down to the kitchen. He wasn't use to venturing to the kitchen but it wasn't hard to find as all he had to do to find it was follow the sound of Clara's playlist of classical music blasting along the corridor.

When he reached it, he stopped at the door and leant against it as she paraded around the kitchen, futilely attempting to make yet another soufflé.

The Doctor sighed and just watched her since she was completely oblivious to his presence. Her long brown locks were tied up in a scraggy ponytail and her face and hair where covered in the ingredients of the soufflés. He laughed slightly at her innocence. That was his Clara…

The remains of burnt and lightly cooked soufflés where spotted over the counters and she continued to dance around the room, having what looked like the time of her life.

However, it didn't take too long for her to notice him standing watching her, displaying an enormous smile.

"Doctor?" she asked, "How long you been standin' there?"

He shrugged his shoulders and slipped his hands in his pockets.

"Not long." he confirmed.

"Aww…" she cooed, "Did ya miss me?"

The Doctor smiled and nodded slightly. "Yeah." he admitted, "It's quiet without you."

Clara grinned. "You've come for more soufflés, ain't ya?" she questioned with her cheeky smile that the Doctor adored.

"Um… no." he replied, "That other one filled me up."

Clara raised her eyebrow. "You had one spoonful." she pointed out.

The Doctor smiled. "And that filled me up." he objected.

Clara rolled her eyes just as the oven pinged. She smiled and bent down to it.

"This one's just about ready." she explained, "Sure I can't tempt ya?"

The Doctor fully entered the kitchen and pointed to the abandoned ones on the opposite counter.

"What about these ones?" he queried.

Clara looked over and laughed slightly. "Oh, they were too beautiful to live." she told him.

The Doctor smiled and sat down on a stool near to the door. His eyes didn't leave her as she popped on her oven gloves and began to remove her latest masterpiece. He couldn't deny that that certain soufflé actually looked edible and not only that, it also looked tasty.

Clara stood up and closed the oven door with her foot. She smiled up at the Doctor before making her way over towards him. Unfortunately for her, due to the mess on the floor, she slipped when she was half way over and she crashed to the floor.

The bowl containing the soufflé shattered and she hit the floor with her right knee taking the full blow as she fell. The Doctor dashed down to her side.

"You alright?" he asked, attempting to hide his amusement.

Clara laughed it off. "Yeah." she told him, "I'm fine."

"Here, let me help." offered the Doctor.

They both began to pick up the larger fragments. As they did, they both reached for the same one. When their hands met, they both froze for a moment. They both looked up in unison and as their eyes met; they both felt something, something neither of them could let themselves deny.

The Doctor's hearts began to speed up rapidly. He couldn't do this… It wasn't right to feel this way…

They both seemed to have the same thought at the same time and they both immediately pulled their hands away. Clara looked away and attempted to push herself up off the floor. However, a sharp pain in her right knee inhibited her from doing so.

She yelped out in pain and the Doctor's attention suddenly focused on her for that reason.

"What's wrong?" he asked, moving to her side.

"My knee…" she whispered, "It really hurts…"

The Doctor managed to sit her back on the floor and extended her leg out. Clara couldn't ignore the pain, especially as he moved it. It was like someone was tearing it apart.

The Doctor then began to lightly feel around her kneecap. Her moans when he touched it confirmed his initial diagnosis.

He sighed and turned to face her. "I think you need a Doctor." he said with a slight smile.

Clara smiled. "I've got one, ain't I?" she asked in attempt to ignore the pain.

The Doctor laughed. "Well, I think you need a proper one." he stated.

Clara sighed. "All this for a Soufflé." she moaned, "This certainly weren't one my to-do list today."

The Doctor smiled and slowly assisted her off the floor.

"Come on." he directed.

Clara tried to put weight on her right leg but that just intensified the pain. The Doctor noticed her struggling but unfortunately, there was nothing he could have done at that moment to help ease it. He knew that every step they took was agony for her but luckily the TARDIS seemed to understand that so the route to the control room was relatively short.

Once there, he sat her down on the sofa before piloting the TARDIS to their next destination.

"Where are we going?" Clara asked, trying to find a comfortably position to rest her knee in.

The Doctor dashed around the console. "The best hospital in the universe." he replied.

Clara's eyes widened. "Not Caremaine?" she asked, slightly worried that's where they were going to go.

"No." he replied bluntly, "No. I'll never take you there again."


	21. The Harpa-Kazran Alliance

Chapter 21: The Harpa-Kazran Alliance

Clara had been sat it a rather comfy hospital bed for the past three hours. The Nurses had explained that although her knee was now healed, they were just letting her rest it while her strength returned.

It was rather an odd sensation, feeling her knee heal in a couple of hours when she was used to bones taking weeks to heal. Only she could have managed to break her knee after slipping in the TARDIS kitchen.

The reason it had broken wasn't because of the fact that she had fallen, it was because of the way she had hit the floor. If she hadn't have landed with all of her weight on it, it was more that likely that she would have just had a nasty bruise.

The Doctor entered her room carrying two cups of what smelt like freshly ground coffee. They both exchanged smiles before she leant back on her pillow.

"Here you are." he said as he passed her one of the cups.

Clara smiled and thanked him as she inhaled the aroma. Coffee wasn't her favourite drink but after weeks of travelling the universe and drinking peculiar flavoured beverages, it comforted her as it reminded her of home.

The Doctor took a seat on the chair next to her bed and laughed to himself.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"You." he stated, "Breaking your knee… Trust you."

Clara laughed with him. "Ain't it my job to keep ya on your toes?" she questioned.

The Doctor looked up at her. "Yeah, but surely there's got to be less painful ways than breaking your knee."

Clara shrugged her shoulders. "I like going to extremes." she told him.

"Obviously." agreed the Doctor, "Then again, you wouldn't be you if you didn't."

Clara laughed. "Would ya change me?" she asked.

The Doctor shook his head. "Never." he confirmed.

The continued talking for a few minutes until a Nurse entered the room and began to look at Clara's monitor which had been scanning her constantly. When she had finished and had turned the monitor off, she looked up at Clara and smiled.

"Everything looks fine." she informed her, "Just take it easy until you're used to the feeling. It'll feel a bit strange for a while."

Clara nodded. "Thank-you." she expressed.

The Nurse spun around and nodded at the Doctor.

"Doctor." she acknowledged before leaving the room.

Clara frowned and turned to the Doctor. "How do you know 'er?" she asked.

The Doctor turned and faced her. "She cared for a friend of mine… a long time ago." he told her.

The Doctor then stood and slowly assisted Clara off her bed. She gently placed her left leg on the floor, carefully followed by her right. She slowly stood up with the Doctor's assistance. As she did, her right leg gave in slightly. If the Doctor hadn't been holding her up, she would have probably fallen.

"You okay?" asked the Doctor as he assisted her back to her feet.

She nodded. "Yeah." she confirmed, "But she weren't lyin' when she said that it's a weird feelin'."

The Doctor smiled and slowly began to release his grasp around her, allowing her to slowly gain her balance on her own. She took a few uncertain steps before bending her knee a couple of times.

After she was done, she looked up at the Doctor and smiled.

"Okay." she said, "I think I'll be alright."

"Don't rush things." he told her, "Take your time."

"No." said Clara, "It's good."

The Doctor sighed. "Okay let's go," he stated, "slowly."

x-[]-x

It didn't take Clara long to get back to walking normally again. As they made their way down the corridor towards where the Doctor had parked the TARDIS, Clara couldn't help but notice some of the Nurse's and patient's alike, pointing and gossiping about her.

"Doctor?" she asked, "Is there something on my back?"

The Doctor suddenly stopped and peered at it. There was nothing out of the ordinary, not that he could see.

"No…" he answered, "Why?"

Clara glanced around at the people they were passing.

"They're all lookin' at me funny." she explained.

The Doctor looked around and he too saw them staring at her. He frowned slightly as he couldn't see an obvious reason.

"Maybe it's because you're human." he suggested.

Clara frowned. "No offence, but you look human," she started, "So why are they just lookin' at me?"

The Doctor shook his head and looked around once again. "No idea…" he confessed, "Come on."

They continued to make their way towards the TARDIS when all of a sudden, a large explosion sounded throughout the hospital. Glass shattered as the hospital shook for a moment, sending the majority of people to the floor, the Doctor and Clara included.

A moment of silence fell upon the entire section they were in before moral panic began to assert itself, spreading throughout the hospital at the speed of light.

Clara, who had been caught in the face by a piece of glass, slowly pushed herself up off the floor. Her hand immediately came to her cheek where fresh blood from a gash began to strain her skin.

She looked over at the Doctor who was scanning the corridor. His attention was directed at the direction they had just come from. She wiped away the excess blood with her sleeve seconds before he turned to face her.

"Come on…" he began but halted when he saw her cheek.

He swiftly made his way over. "You alright?" he asked, letting his protective streak show.

She nodded. "It's just a scratch." she stated, "Besides, it's nothing compared to these."

She was referring to the people on the floors, scattered around with a variety of different injuries. They ranged from minor cuts and scraped to major bleeding due. The Nurses, who had just composed themselves, put their work heads on and began to treat the most urgent cases.

The Doctor nodded and turned to the direction of the blast. He smiled weakly and began to head down the corridor along with Clara who was glad her knee was sort of back to normal. It would have been a nuisance if it was still hurting.

They made their way down to the hall until they came to a balcony type area. It was in an open part of the hospital and looked over a large hall.

Clara's jaw dropped when she looked down and saw the number of people injured, sprawled out on the floor beneath them. However, the Doctor's attention was glued to a large hole in the exterior wall. Rubble was scattered around it and it was clear to see that there were a number of people trapped underneath it. Luckily, some staff members and either patients or visitors where assisting them out.

Clara looked around at it and her eyes widened. "What the hell…?" she cried.

The Doctor's eyes didn't leave the opening. He could clearly see the terrain outside and an emergency force field in the gap, keeping the heat inside and the germs out.

"How on earth 'as that 'appened?" Clara asked.

The Doctor gulped. "Some sort of bomb…" he suggested, "Or particle gun..."

Clara gulped. "Who would do something like that to a hospital?" she questioned.

The Doctor shook his head. "Maybe people who want to cause a distraction in order to do something else." he proposed.

"Bit of an extreme way." she pointed out.

The Doctor nodded and began to head down the flight of stairs on his left. Clara followed him and they made their way over to the breech. The Doctor began to scan it, hoping to find out the actual cause.

At that moment, a siren sounded throughout the hospital. Clara spun around and looked up towards the orange flashing lights on the wall.

"What's that?" she questioned.

The Doctor, who was looking at the results in his screwdriver, briefly looked over at her.

"It means the emergency services are beaming inside." he explained.

Seconds later, beams of bright royal blue light flashed in the area revealing members of the security team as they materialised. In seconds, there were over fifty officers in the area and were working to control the panicked crowds of people.

Clara watched as the officers dressed in black bulletproof type material gathered the walking wounded together, bringing order to chaos.

An officer soon approached Clara, briskly moving her away towards the crowd.

"No, get off me." she told him, "I'm with him."

She was referring to the Doctor who was so engrossed in his scans that he hadn't noticed her being dragged away.

"Ma'am, if you will please comply." said the Officer.

The Doctor suddenly noticed she was gone and quickly spun around to see her being pulled away. He quickly ran over.

"No, she's with me." he explained.

The officer, whose helmet covered his face, shook his head.

"Well, you can also join the group, sir." he said, "This building is under our control now."

Another officer soon came over. "Leave him be Commander." she told him, "They're investigators, can't you tell?"

The first officer looked towards the Doctor. "I'm sorry, sir." he apologized, "Please continue."

He then turned to Clara. "You too, ma'am." he said, "But first allow me to tend to your wound."

Clara shook her head. "No, I'm alright." she confirmed, "Tend to the other's first."

The first officer nodded and walked away as she made her way over to the Doctor's side. She couldn't help but notice that his stare was fixed solely on the second officer.

"Doctor?" she asked, turning to take a look at the officer and then back at him.

She could tell by the way the officer walked that she was female but that didn't explain the Doctor's apparent confusion.

"What is it?" she questioned.

The Doctor turned to face her. "Her voice…" he whispered, "I know her voice."

Clara frowned. "What do ya mean?" she asked, "Who is she?"

However, before he had even answered, she had an unnerving feeling that she already knew.

A moment later, another siren sounded and instantaneously, all the officers removed their helmets in perfect sync. This action confirmed to Clara her suspicions about the woman.

The Doctor's jaw hit the floor. "Oh come on." he moaned, "Not here too, not now!"

As the woman removed her helmet, she released her mass of brown locks which were tied up in a neat ponytail. Her hair was the exact same length as the hair of all the others had been and she was perfectly identical, just like usual.

Clara shook her head. "Doctor…" she commenced, "This isn't possible…"

The Doctor gulped and felt the air be knocked out of his lungs. How was she here too? How was another woman, identical to Bronwin, Raine and Nathalie, stood there literally metres away? Who was she?

As the woman began to work, she noticed the gobsmacked Doctor and Clara looking at her. She frowned and made her way over.

"Are you two okay?" she questioned with a smile.

Bizarrely, the fact that they were staring at her didn't creep her out. For some reason, she completely trusted the two people stood in front of her. She couldn't explain why.

The Doctor sighed and began to circle her, looking at her in detail from every angle.

"How can you be here?" he asked, "Who are you?"

The woman smiled when he stopped in front of her.

"My name's Megan." she replied to his second question, "Officer Megan Deoheir."

The Doctor frowned. "Deoheir?" he questioned.

She nodded. "Is it a problem?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Not your name, no." he guaranteed.

Megan smiled weakly before looking back towards her co-workers as he called for her assistance.

"Excuse me." she said before taking herself away.

Clara looked up at the Doctor and could see the cogs working away in his mind. She sighed and began to look around at the scene. The people where slowly being dealt with and there were now already people fixing the breech. She was amazed at how quick they had begun to fix it but then again, it was the 52nd Century.

Just when they thought all the chaos was being dealt with, a large armada of people dressed it black overhauls appeared from out of the shadows. There were about one hundred of them, all primed with some sort of guns which were at the ready.

The crowds of people suddenly fell silent and the security guards suddenly took up a defensive pattern around them, Clara and the Doctor included.

The Doctor snapped out of his shock and suddenly began to do his best to protect Clara.

"I order you to drop your weapons and surrender under the orders of the Jarnett Security Task Force." ordered the Officer who had originally spoken to Clara and the Doctor.

One of the armada officers stepped forward and smiled menacingly. He raised his weapon slightly and aimed at the officer. He shot at him and the beam disintegrating his body from the subatomic level.

The Officer cried out as he was killed and his death made the crowd begin to panic once again. However, they quietened down pretty quickly.

Clara was horrified, and pretty scared. The Doctor sensed that and pulled her into his chest, comforting her in the best way that he could.

Megan bravely stepped forward as she was the next in command.

"I'm Megan Deoheir of the Jarnett Security Task Force." she introduced, "State your identity and intention."

The armada officer smiled and raised his eyebrow.

"I am Rex Avec of the Harpa-Kazran Alliance." he greeted.

Megan gulped. She for one knew about the Harpa-Kazran Alliance. They were notorious in that sector, constantly terrorising planets for supplies. However, not once had she ever seen or heard of a raid this large. Also, they didn't seem to be looting the hospital... They looked as if they had an agenda, but not a normal one.

"What do you want?" she questioned.

"Clara Oswald." he answered, "We have reason to believe she was admitted here three and a half hours ago."

The Doctor's eyes widened and Clara's hands gripped onto his sleeves.

"Give us Clara Oswald and we will be on our way."


	22. Make a Choice

Chapter 22: Make a Choice

The knot in the Doctor's stomach was intensifying as much as Clara's grip around his arms was. Her breathing had started to become erratic as her fear increased and her legs felt as if they were about to give way as Rex Avec's eye's peered over the crowd. He was looking for her and she desperately didn't want him to succeed.

"I'm sorry." began Megan, "We don't negotiate over people."

Rex Avec raised his eyebrow and smiled at Megan before beginning to walk along the perimeter marked out by the officers.

"Doctor." he stated, speaking loud enough for everyone in the room to hear him, "I know you can hear me so if you're not willing to come out speak to me directly then just listen. We have four more bombs aimed and ready to hit this hospital with the click of a button. Now, being the considerate guy I am, I thought I'd give you the heads up in order for you to avoid the fact that many more people will be hurt. All you have to do is give us Clara Oswald. You have five minutes before the first bomb is activated."

Clara gulped as Rex Avec returned to his group. He was willing to kill people just to get to her…

"Maybe I should just go to him." she suggested to the Doctor.

The Doctor frowned and shook his head. "Clara, he wants to kill you!" he objected.

Clara bit her lip. "Rather that than let people suffer…" she said to him, "All these are people are suffering because of me…"

The Doctor shook his head. "Absolutely not!" he cried, "But we do need to get out of here."

At that moment, another Security Officer began to talk to Rex Avec, somehow hoping to reason with him and his group. Meanwhile, Megan had turned to look over the crowd, checking that everybody was as okay as possible considering the circumstances. As she did, she couldn't help but notice the panicked looks painted over the Doctor and Clara's faces.

She swiftly looked over at the Alliance and saw they were all glued to Rex Avec and the other officer's conversation so she decided to take the opportunity to slip into the crowd and over to them.

"Oi, you two!" she whispered, gesturing them to duck so they wouldn't be seen behind the crowd, "You're who they're looking for… You're Clara Oswald aren't you?"

Clara gulped and nodded slightly. Megan bit her lip and looked to the Doctor and back to Clara.

"What do they want with you?" she questioned.

Clara shook her head. "I-I don't know…" she stuttered.

The Doctor ran though plans of escape in his head. Unfortunately, there was no way out without being seen. He then looked at Megan and smiled weakly.

"Will you watch her?" he asked.

Megan frowned but soon nodded. He was about to stand up but Clara grabbed hold of his arm.

"Where the 'ell are you goin'?" she asked.

He could see the fear in her eyes, part of her begging him not to leave her. He wrapped his hand around her neck and held her head.

"I'll come back, I promise." he told her.

She bit her lip and tried to stop her eyes tearing up. However, her fear had other ideas. He smiled weakly and kissed her forehead. He then stood up and looked down at Megan, emphasising his request for her to look after her. Megan nodded to confirm that she would before he swiftly straightened his bowtie and began to head towards the front of the crowd.

"Sorry." he apologised as he pushed pasted the perimeter guards, "Hello. How are we all doing today?"

Rex Avec's eyes widened and he barged towards the Doctor. He immediately grabbed the collar of the Doctor's jacket and intruded into his personal space.

"Where is she?!" he shouted.

The Doctor hit Rex Avec's hand away and looked down at him. "Take your hand off me, _Rexy._" he ordered.

The anger boiled inside Rex Avec and he whipped his gun up to the Doctor's head. However, the Doctor calmly raised his head and stared down the barrel. They stood there in complete silence for a few moments before the Doctor shrugged his shoulders.

"Shooting me won't help you find her now, will it?" he questioned.

Rex Avec sighed and slowly lowered his gun.

"Doctor." he stated as if he were starting the meeting once again.

The Doctor smiled smugly. "Rex Avec." he said.

Clara, who was watching from the distance, watched as Rex Avec tried to make the Doctor crack and reveal her location. Why did he want to find her so much?

The Doctor began to pace, looking over all the Alliance members. Every single one of them had their guns aimed at him but he knew they wouldn't shoot until they knew where Clara was.

"So, is this a field trip?" he questioned, "Or work experience?"

"My patience is wearing thin, Doctor." said Rex Avec, "Where is she?"

The Doctor smiled and slowly approached him. "Who's paying you for this?" he asked.

Rex Avec's eyes tightened slightly. "That's not your concern." he replied.

"It is when it involves my friend." he stated, "So I'll ask you again. Who's paying you for this?"

Rex Avec sighed and looked up at the Doctor once again, futilely attempting to overpower the already angry Doctor.

"Where is she?" he repeated.

The Doctor's eyes tightened before he broke away and smiled.

"She's gone home." he answered, "A few hours ago."

"That's a lie." said Rex Avec instantaneously, "We've been monitoring the TARDIS. It hasn't moved since it first landed here."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow and laughed slightly. "I never said she went in the TARDIS." he said.

"You're still lying." he pointed out, "Where is she?"

The Doctor sighed and bit his lip. "Fine." he said before looking towards Megan who he could just about see through the crowd.

Megan stared at the Doctor and for some bizarre reason, heard him speak to her even though his lips never moved. She heard him question her something and she immediately nodded in reply. He winked at her as thanks before turning back to Rex Avec.

"She's in the Maternity Ward." he told him.

Rex Avec was about to criticise the Doctor's lack of faith to his friend but then the answer the Doctor had just said registered in his mind. The Doctor watched as his eyes widened in a state of horror and the entire Alliance suddenly became very scared.

"Why is she there?" Rex Avec asked.

"It's the _Maternity_ Ward." he stated, "Why do you think?"

In an instant, the entire Alliance left, dashing down the corridor towards the ward which was on the other side of the hospital. Clara breathed a sigh of relief as they all departed and she slowly stood up. As the noise of the people's chit-chat returned, Clara sprinted towards the Doctor who gratefully wrapped his arms around her. They stayed in each others embrace for a moment before the Doctor spoke.

"We still need to get out of here." he explained.

She pulled away and nodded. "Well, I'm more than ready." she confirmed.

Clara looked down the corridor where the Alliance had just disappeared down.

"Why did you say I was in the Maternity Ward?" she asked.

The Doctor smiled. "It's on the other side of the hospital." he informed her, "It's got them out the way."

Clara nodded. "Why… Why do they want me?" she questioned.

The Doctor shook his head. "We can worry about that later." he told her, "Let's get to the TARDIS first."

Megan ran over to them. "Doctor!" she shouted.

He swiftly spun around. "I'm sorry Megan, we really have to get out of here." he told her.

"No!" she objected, "How did you do that? How did you ask me if the Maternity Ward was empty?"

Clara frowned. "He didn't." she intervened.

"Yes he did." she stated before turning back and looking up at him, "Why did I hear your voice in my head?"

The Doctor sighed. "You heard me?" he queried, "Clearly?"

Megan nodded. "As clear as if you were stood next to me speaking." she confirmed.

The Doctor gulped. "It's not possible…" he whispered, "You shouldn't have heard me…"

Clara quickly looked around. "Look, can we please go?" she asked, "They might come back."

The Doctor snapped his head back towards Clara. "Yes, sorry." he apologised, "Megan, until the next time."

Megan frowned. "Will there be a next time?" she questioned.

The Doctor nodded. "I have a feeling there will be." he admitted.

Clara, who was watching the corridor, suddenly froze as she saw what looked like the Alliance heading towards them.

"And I 'ave a feelin' I'm outta time…" she whispered.

The Doctor quickly turned and saw the Alliance returning. Rex Avec was leading them and his smile grew when his eyes locked onto Clara.

The Doctor swiftly positioned himself in front of her as they approached and entered the hallway again. Silence once again fell over the people.

"Ah Doctor." he said, "It seems like Clara has returned, and just in time too."

The Doctor sighed, not moving from in front of Clara. The officers had positioned their guns at the Alliance by that point, Megan included.

"You won't touch her." the Doctor stated.

Rex Avec smiled. "The boss said that ideally Clara needed to die." he explained, "But if all else fails, then you can die instead Doctor. Make a choice, you or her?"

The Doctor gulped. "If it's between me and her, I vote me all the way." he declared.

Rex Avec smiled menacingly. "So be it." he stated.

The Doctor braced himself as Rex Avec raised his gun. Moments later, he felt a crippling pain in his chest and he fell to the floor. He was lucky in some respects. If he had been human, the force of the weapon would have destroyed him from the subatomic level, just as it had with the male officer earlier that day.

He yelped out in pain and Clara quickly fell to his side, supporting his head.

"Doctor!" she cried.

The Doctor was fighting an internal battle. He didn't want to die; he didn't even want to change. He wanted to remain as his 11th incarnation and stay with Clara, no regeneration process. He just wanted to stay who he was…

Rex Avec smiled as the Doctor's crippled body struggled to hold on. He then directed his attention towards Clara.

"And now for you, Miss Oswald." he said sinisterly, "The boss will be really happy to know that _both _of you are dead."

Clara gulped. There was the Doctor, dying in her arms, and now she was about to join him. She gripped the Doctor's hand and he managed to smile up at her before his body began to fit slightly. He could feel the energy slowly destroying his cells and soon his regeneration energy would activate. That is, if Rex Avec didn't shoot him again before his regeneration cycle started.

Rex Avec proceeded to raise his gun and aimed it towards Clara.

"Now Miss Oswald," he began, "Say goodbye to your life."


	23. Unlocked

Chapter 23: Unlocked

Clara gulped and closed her eyes. She had seconds… if she was lucky. She felt the Doctor grip her hand in comfort. Even though he was dying himself, he wanted to do his best to comfort her. It was his fault she was here… If he hadn't let his curiosity get the best of him, she'd still be in Darchester, safe and sound. He should have just stayed on that cloud; he should never have gone looking for her…

Megan recoiled in horror and briskly positioned herself between Clara, the Doctor and Rex Avec.

"No!" she cried, "One death's enough!"

Clara slowly opened her eyes and looked up to see Megan standing in front of her. She hardly knew who she was yet she felt an immense sense of pride… Why did she feel pride of all things?

Rex Avec raised his eyebrow and smiled. "And why would you protect them?" he asked, "You don't even know who they are."

Megan sighed. He was right when he said that but she couldn't describe how she felt towards them; it was almost as if she knew them, maybe from a dream or a story. However, the one thing she did know was that she cared deeply for them and she couldn't allow them to die at the hands of the Harpa-Kazran Alliance.

"They're civilians." she stated, "And it's my job to protect civilians."

Rex Avec scoffed. "Civilians?" he queried, trying not to laugh as his words, "If you knew who they really were…"

Clara looked down at the Doctor whose body was convulsing. As she cradled his head, she could feel him burning up. She had no idea if that was because of the weapon but she could see him struggling. The pain must have been immense!

"Move out of the way, dear." ordered Rex Avec, "I don't want to kill someone unnecessarily for _them_."

Megan shook her head. "I won't let you kill them." she stated matter-of-factly, "Just leave."

Rex Avecsniggered. "And who are _you_ to tell _me_ what to do?" he questioned.

"I'm Lieutenant Megan Deoheir," she responded, "And I order you to leave."

She couldn't believe how brave she was being. Not once had she ever spoke so directly in such a hazardous situation but for some reason, she felt compelled too.

Rex Avec rolled his eyes. "Is that supposed to scare me?" he questioned before raised his gun at her.

Another officer who was stoodadjacent to the dying Doctor and Clara gulped. He had always cared for Megan and he'd always considered her to be the little sister he never had so as her life was in jeopardy, he felt an overwhelming urge to save her.

"No!" he screamed as he dove at her, knocking her out of the weapon's reach and to the floor.

His cries were soon transformed into screams as the weapon's particle beam hit him and began to eat away at his body. In seconds it was all over and all they was left was the smell of burnt flesh.

Megan flicked her head towards the spot where his body had just been destroyed. She felt her stomach drop and as she turned to look back towards Rex Avec, she felt something new burn inside her, rage and fury, two emotions combining into one.

The Doctor yelped out once again and Clara directed her attention down to him.

"Hey…" she comforted as her eyes welled up, "Hold on… Please, just hold on…"

The Doctor squirmed once again. "I can't…" he breathed.

"Please…" she begged.

The Doctor's breathing suddenly became heavier and he felt the heat wash throughout his body. His hands began to tingle and suddenly, they began to emit a golden energy… his regeneration energy.

Clara gasped and pushed herself away, watching as the Doctor tried desperately to keep the energy under control. He wanted to remain as his 11th incarnation for as long as he could.

Megan's jaw dropped in horror but before she had time to take it all in, she once again saw Rex Avec raise his weapon at the Doctor.

Inside her head, she screamed at him to stop. Subconsciously, she had an urge to mentally push him away.

Without second thought, she raised her hand up at him and to her shock, he suddenly began to burn. His screams could be heard all over the hospital and the more he screamed, the more her body began to heat up.

Clara, who was now watching Megan, recoiled in horror as she saw her skin began to glow with a blinding golden energy, a similar colour to the energy being emanated from the Doctor's hands.

_So many voices filled her head. It was all unlocking… all the things that had been hidden from her for her entire life. The truth was emerging…_

Megan stood up and smiled. Everything made sense now, she didn't fully understand how but her life had suddenly become clear, all the secrets which were hidden away were now swimming in her mind, explaining exactly _who and what_ she was.

As her skin's brightness increased, she looked towards Clara. The crowd had all moved away, backing as far as they could towards the wall. Clara moved her hand towards her face in attempt to block some of the light. She could just about see Megan smile at her before she turned to face the remaining members of the Alliance.

The Doctor's vision had begun to blur as the pain of his regeneration pulsed through his body. He still wasn't ready to let go and as the fitting ceased, he turned his head and looked up at Megan. Through the light she was emitting, he could just about make out her raise her hands at the Alliance. They all responded by firing their weapons at her. However, all the laser blasts faded into dust as they reached the energy field pulsing around her body.

He was ever so confused. It was impossible for any living creature to have that kind of power. He'd only ever seen it once in the form of the Bad Wolf but that couldn't be sustained for long by any living creature, not even a Timelord! Who was that woman… _what _was she?!

The Alliance soon faded away in a mass of golden fire, their screams masked by a song that began to sound in the Doctor's ears, a song so beautiful that he smiled to himself as he lost consciousness.

Megan began to look around at the hospital which was in ruins. As her energy began to intensity, she smiled to herself.

"This one's for you Dad…" she whispered to herself before taking in the deepest breath of her life.

As Clara watched, she began to struggle to stay awake as the light increased. She couldn't understand why but moments later, just like everybody else in that room, she fell fully to the floor as she entered a deep level of unconsciousness.

x-[]-x

_He could hear her voice, her sweet and enchanting voice, calling to him. He smiled as she spoke his name, calling him to find her…_

"Doctor?" she called once again.

The Doctor's heavy eyelids soon became noticeable but he managed to slowly open them, adjusting to the light level in the room as they opened.

He sighed and when his vision returned, he saw her looking down at him with a smile which made his hearts flutter.

"Clara…?" he breathed as his energy returned.

"'ey up, trouble." she greeted.

He attempted to sit up but she put her hand on his chest. "Slow down." she ordered, "Get ya bearing's first."

After she removed her hand, he slowly pushed himself up and rested back on the headboard. He was in some sort of hospital bed yet the room looked vaguely familiar. It didn't take him long to realise he was still in the hospital but the difference was incredible. There was no damage of any kind, the rooms were spotless and the Nurses were back to business, caring for the patients as if nothing had happened.

The Doctor turned slowly and looked down at Clara who was sat on the chair next to his bed. She looked a wreck since her hair was a mess. She also looked awfully tired but her smile slightly disguised that.

"What happened?" he asked.

Clara shrugged her shoulders. "There was some sort of power surge after we all lost consciousness. The hospital repaired in an instant and all the wounded people were suddenly healed… including you."

The Doctor frowned and his hand swiftly made its way up to his face. He began to feel his cheek and the rest of his face. It was normal… nothing had changed! His face, his bone structure, it was exactly the same as it was before!

The smiled on his face expanded. "I… I haven't changed!" he stated in shock, "I didn't regenerate!"

Clara smiled at his happiness. She had no idea what 'regenerate' meant in his dictionary but she could see he was rather glad about it.

"Do you remember what 'appened?" she questioned after a moment.

The Doctor shook his head. "No…" he admitted, "What did happen?"

Clara shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno, no-one does." she explained, "Everyone seems to remember that officer being killed and then… nothin'."

The Doctor frowned and he began to trek through his memories. He remembered being shot and that his regeneration cycle had started, but he couldn't remember much after that. What he couldn't understand was why he had regenerated but hadn't changed. Not once had he ever heard of a case of a Timelord regenerating but not changing…

He looked back at Clara. "Megan?" he questioned, "Where's Megan?"

Clara looked down and bit her lip. "She hasn't been found." she replied, "The officer's have assumed that whatever killed the entire Alliance killed her too…"

The Doctor sighed. He hardly knew who she was but he was deeply hurt by that knowledge. She was another part of the puzzle which was eating away at his mind. Firstly they met Bronwin, now they had met three other people who were completely identical to her in every way… It didn't make sense. Why were the four of them, Bronwin, Nathalie, Raine and Megan completely identical in nearly every respect? He didn't understand how they were possible but he intended to find out, the sooner the better!


	24. You're the Reason

Chapter 24: You're the Reason

The Doctor was more than happy to see his TARDIS once again after finally being discharged from that hospital. Clara watched in delight as he ran around the control room, happily reacquainting his hands with his beloved console. It hadn't taken him long to return to the Time Vortex after that. To be honest, he was rather glad to be getting away from that hospital.

Clara had taken a seat on the sofa as the Doctor continued to pilot the TARDIS. Her thoughts soon turned away from him and back to the recent events that had just occurred. Not only was she now sure that there was something in the universe that wanted her dead, but she also felt an immense feeling of guilt. The Doctor, her best friend, had almost been killed because of her and she couldn't help but feel bad because of it. She could have lost him…

As his hands danced across the console, the Doctor couldn't help but stop for a few seconds and admire his reflection in anything that he came across. He still couldn't believe his luck. He hadn't regenerated even though he had been dying. Deep down he was truly happy about it but it still confused him… Why? That was the question. Why hadn't he changed?

He shook his head and returned his attention to the machine. After briefly scanning through the databases, he paused when something caught his eye. It was some sort of space vessel in the 24th Century, definitely Terran in design.

He smiled and looked over towards Clara.

"Come on then dear." he piped up, "I found us a spaceship."

His thoughts paused slightly as those words brought back a memory, a pleasant yet upsetting memory. He shook the thought away and looked back towards Clara. She was lost deep in her own thoughts, a long way away.

"Clara?" he asked.

She suddenly snapped out of her trance and falsely smiled as she looked up at him.

"Sorry…" she apologised, "You said a spaceship?"

She stood up and pushed her hair out of her face. The Doctor's eyes never left her and she couldn't hide the fact she was upset behind that smile she was displaying. To be fair, she couldn't hide much from him at all...

"Clara, what's wrong?" he questioned, his voice soft and calm.

She shook her head. "Nothin'." she guaranteed.

He raised his eyebrow and stepped a little closer to her.

"Clara…?" he asked once again.

She sighed and turned away. She could feel her lip quivering as she attempted to speak.

"How can you bear to look at me?" she asked, her voice betraying her at the last moment.

The Doctor's confusion suddenly surfaced and he scoffed slightly.

"What the hell does that mean?" he questioned.

Clara gulped and refused to turn to face him.

"You almost died today Doctor…" she reminded him, "Because of me…"

The Doctor smiled weakly and approached her. "The word there being 'almost'." he stated.

Clara bit her lip and quickly wiped away a tear which escaped her eye. The Doctor quickly noticed and felt his hearts drop a little. He hated it when she was upset, especially over something to do with him.

"Hey!" he cried.

He spun her around but she refused to look up at him. The guilt she felt was weighing down on her shoulders. He was best friend, and he could have died because of her.

"Clara it wasn't your fault." he declared.

"It was…" she objected, "They were after me…"

"Clara!" he cried, "It wasn't your fault."

Clara slowly lifted her head and look up at him. His bold blue eyes glistened as he looked intensely down at her.

"Clara if it weren't for you, I would have died." he explained.

"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have been in that position." she pointed out.

"Clara, I held on because of you." he admitted.

Clara frowned. "What does that mean?" she asked in a whisper.

The Doctor smiled weakly. "I was dying, and when a Timelord dies, our bodies heal themselves… but it means we have to change." he explained, "If you hadn't been there, I would have. Without you, I wouldn't have held on for as long as I did."

Clara bit her lip and shook her head slightly. "I don't understand…" she admitted.

He smiled. "I was lucky." he told her, "Something, I don't know what, but something healed me so I didn't have to change. However, if you hadn't been there, I would have just regenerated before whatever it was had the chance to save me… Clara, you're the reason I held on."

Clara shook her head once again. "But you almost died Doctor." she reminded him.

The Doctor moved closer to her, their faces inches from each other.

"But I didn't… Thanks to you." he told her in a whisper, "You're the reason I held on."

Clara sighed. "What does that mean?" she asked softly.

The Doctor couldn't resist anymore. No matter how hard he tried, the feelings he had for her were too strong to ignore. It was the perfect opportunity now; it was time to show her how he felt.

He suddenly found his hand on her jaw line, pulling her lips to meet his. It was a risk but his hearts began to beat with joy as they touched. The feeling was thrilling, sending waves of pleasure through his body. It ended all too soon but he couldn't deny it wasn't worth it.

Clara gasped and caught her breath as soon as he pulled away, his eyes enticing her as they glistened in the light pulsing from the console. The feeling she had just experienced was breathtaking and there were parts of her which wanted more. She took a quick moment before realising her desire to kiss him again was burning within her. She was slightly sceptical but as he had made the first move, it was obvious he felt a similar way…

Their lips locked again, this time with Clara making the first move. It definitely advanced more than the first as that time Clara wrapped one hand around the Doctor's neck and the other gripped his shoulder. All the feelings of guilt were washed away in a single second and were replaced with something new, an emotion she hadn't felt properly for a long time.

They pulled away not long after, both not completely satisfied yet overwhelmed by the intense emotions running through their veins. The Doctor rested his forehead against Clara's as she caught her breath. Their eyes both opened and as their noses touched, the Doctor repeated his words:

"You're the reason I held on…"

A smile tugged on Clara's lips as she finally understood what he meant. She didn't want to move for a minute or two. Forget about the amazing spaceship waiting for them, they were in a time machine. That ship was stuck there for eternity; they could go to it whenever they wanted but that moment, that moment was different. That moment was one which couldn't be interrupted, couldn't be taken away from them. It was special, and she intended to treasure it for as long as possible. Finally, after months of waiting, her heart finally had what it had desired for so long, the one and only person in the entire universe that made her feel complete… the Doctor.


	25. Trust Me

Chapter 25: Trust Me

"I deeply apologise for the misunderstanding." apologised the man who stood before them.

Clara looked up at the Doctor who was still frowning. His hair was still dripping wet and his clothes were completely drenched. She could easily see where they had been as there was a trail of water on the floor which the Doctor had created as they had made their way back to the TARDIS. No matter how much she tried to hide it, she was slightly amused at the grumpiness displayed on his face which was slowly becoming anger.

"Misunderstanding…?!" he began but stopped as soon as his eyes met Clara's.

She shook her head and begged with her eyes for him to stop. She really wasn't in the mood for him to get into an argument. He'd already had enough of them for one day.

"Just drop it…" she whispered up to him, "Please."

He sighed and forced a smile onto his face when he turned back to the man. Just before he spoke, he took off the remains of his bowtie and squeezed the water out of it.

"I'd love to say it was a pleasure, but it wasn't." he said as he took the TARDIS key out of his inner pocket, "Bye!"

He swiftly unlocked the door and stormed inside. Clara sighed and rolled her eyes before acknowledging the man.

"Bye." she said before heading inside herself.

She closed the door behind her and stood watching the Doctor muttering to himself as he removed his drenched jacket and flung it over the rail. Clara rolled her eyes slightly and made her way over to him. Her smile breaking through amplified his annoyance resulting in him raising his eyebrow.

"Do you think this is funny?" he questioned, "I'm soaked!"

Clara bit her lip in attempt to hide her smile but it was futile. "I can see that Mr Grumpy!" she laughed.

The Doctor gave in and smiled. She was truly incredible. How could he be grumpy when he was with her, no matter how annoyed he was?

He sighed and looked down at his clothing which was creating a puddle around his feet.

"I'm gonna get change." he told her.

Clara nodded. "Well, I'm gonna get a coffee so…" she told him with a smile.

He kissed her forehead and smiled before they both left the control room.

"Oh," he remembered, "Clean up dear."

He rubbed the wall of his beloved TARDIS as he spoke. Clara smiled when she saw the control room behind her begin to heat up, evaporating the water off the floor. She was still completely amazed at the wonder of the TARDIS and she loved the fact that the Doctor truly cared for it. She didn't know why she liked that, she just did.

x-[]-x

Both the Doctor and Clara were eager for a new adventure. The Doctor was fed up of danger and problems which led to him being locked up underwater so this time he was trying to find a nice and relatively safe place.

Although the mystery surrounding the Bronwin person was heavily on his mind and deeply intrigued him, he was hoping for an adventure without her popping up. He just wanted one adventure, that was all, one adventure where it was just him and Clara. Was that too much to ask?

Dressed in dry and clean clothes, he began to dig through the database. Clara had joined him and as he searched, she rested her head on his shoulder. He looked down at her and smiled. Now he had admitted his feelings for her, he didn't feel bad for feeling that way anymore.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice soft and gentle.

"Nothin'." she replied.

He smiled and kissed the top of her head before turning back to the screen.

"Anywhere in particular you wanna go?" he questioned.

She shook her head. "Just take me somewhere good." she told him.

He hit the nearest lever and they both felt the TARDIS land. Clara looked up towards the door and watched as the Doctor whipped on his jacket which was now dry.

"Where are we?" asked Clara.

He shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "No idea." he answered, "Come on."

They both exited the TARDIS into some sort of building. The walls were made of some sort of metal and the corridor they were in was split into open sections. Each section had a camera with a red light above every doorway and a window in the wall to their left.

The Doctor and Clara looked out of the window they had materialised next to. It looked over a lake that had a handful of boat-type vessels floating on it. The water was a bronze colour and the ground around it was light shade of yellow. Apart from the colour difference, it looked a lot like Earth.

The Doctor then began to examine the sky. It was silver in colour and contained three suns. He tried to identify the system they were in but he couldn't pinpoint which one it was. There were at least three he could think of, Triodia Minor, Tanzalor or Cejana.

"So where are we?" asked Clara.

"I'm not sure." admitted the Doctor before looking further up at the sky.

Clara followed his gaze and looked up at the sky which was almost directly over the building. There in the sky was some sort of blue gas cloud. Whatever it was, it was beautiful.

"Oh, we're in the Cejana System." he explained, "That's the Cejanian Nebula. You're a long way from home Clara, four galaxies I think."

Clara smiled. "And what's this place?" she questioned, referring to the metal building they were in.

"Dunno." responded the Doctor, "Let's go find out."

x-[]-x

The pair of them walked down the corridor until they reached a more open part of the building. It was occupied with many humanoid aliens, all crossing the floor while immersed in deep conversation.

"Oh this is Hylamat Station." the Doctor realised.

"Give me a clue." begged Clara.

He laughed slightly. "It's a supply station." he explained, "Like a service station on a motorway."

Clara nodded and looked around. There was a market on the far side of the room and seating areas dotted around the edge. A number of corridors led away from the room, obviously to other parts of the station.

The Doctor looked around. His smile suddenly faded when he saw something which wasn't right. In the corner of the room there was a child, a young girl of about twelve. She was sat alone and the reason it was wrong was because she was crying, silently. She was attempting to hide her tears from the passing crowds but he had noticed.

Clara, who was still visually examining her surroundings, failed to notice him slip away.

He made his way over to the girl who turned her head away when she saw him appear next to her. She didn't run. There was nowhere for her to go.

"Hello." he greeted softly before taking a seat opposite her, "You okay?"

Stupid question really. Of course she wasn't but he couldn't think of what else to say. It had been a long time since he had to deal with children, especially crying children.

The young girl looked down, avoiding eye contact with the man who had actually bothered to ask if she was okay. If she had looked up, she would have realised that she knew who this man actually was.

"What's your name?" he asked.

The girl sighed. "Abby…" she replied in a whisper.

The Doctor smiled. "Abby." he repeated, "Lovely name. Now Abby, are you gonna tell me what's wrong?"

She shook her head. "No?" he asked, "Well I can't help you if you don't."

Abby wiped away another tear which escaped her eye. "You can't help me." she told him, "No one can."

The Doctor leaned forward. "We'll see about that but first you need to tell me what's wrong." he told her before placing his hand on her knee, "Trust me."

_I'm the Doctor…_ he finished in his head which resulted in him smiling to himself.

Meanwhile, Clara had just that second noticed that the Doctor had suddenly disappeared.

"Oh brilliant…" she muttered, "Doctor! Doctor!"

Unknown to Clara, there was someone watching her. He had been watching her ever since she had landed on the station in that strange blue box along with the bowtie wearing man. The beauty of all the cameras in the station was that if he needed to follow someone, all he had to do was click a button.

He watched for a few more seconds before reaching over to a com device on the desk in front of him. His eyes never left the screen which displayed her looking for the Doctor.

"It's her. She's in Main Section 2." he said down the speaker.

"_Are you sure?"_ asked a voice in reply.

"Brown hair, dressed in a black and white polka dot dress and calling for the Doctor," he explained, "Yeah it's her."

"_Shall we make a move?" _questioned the voice.

The man sighed. "We're under orders." he reminded him, "Try not to raise attention."

"Doctor!" Clara called once again.

As her attention was focused on searching the crowd for him, she failed to notice a group of four men approaching her from behind…

Abby was still composing herself to tell the stranger her problem. She still didn't know who he was, but his voice, she knew his voice… She trusted his voice.

She sighed and slowly raised her head. When her eyes locked onto his smiling face, she recoiled back into her chair.

The Doctor frowned slightly. She had sudden turned white, almost as if she had seen a ghost.

"It's you…" she whispered in disbelief, "Oh my God, it's you…"

The Doctor's frown intensified but seconds later it changed into shock as the young girl pushed off her chair and dove into his chest. He gasped slightly as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

He felt very awkward for a moment but he slowly closed his arms around her, gently rubbing her back. Whoever she was, she obviously knew him… and trusted him.

He felt her begin to weep. "You have to help me find them…" she sobbed, "Please."

The Doctor slowly pushed her away as her grip around his neck loosened. He looked into her eyes as she stood there. She looked somewhat familiar… well; her eyes did at the very least.

He smiled and rubbed her cheek. "Of course I will." he promised.

She smiled slightly.

"Now, who are 'they'?" he asked.

"Mum and Emma." she answered, "Please you've gotta help me find them."

The Doctor quickly stood up and grabbed her hand. "Of course." he guaranteed, "I've just gotta go get Clara first."

Abby's eyes lit up. "She's here?" she asked, "Where?"

The Doctor smiled weakly. He still had no idea who this child was yet he felt extremely protective of her.

He looked away from her and began to look over the crowd. However, he couldn't see Clara anywhere. He visually examined the entire room, hoping to see her somewhere but he didn't.

"Oh great…" he muttered.

Abby looked up at him. "What is it?" she asked, "What's wrong?"

"I can't see her…" he replied as he looked over the crowd once again.

"That's what happened to Emma." she explained, "She just disappeared. Mum said she was gonna go find her. They're still not back…"

The Doctor looked down at the child who was gripping his hand rather tightly, apparently rather scared as she was alone. He crouched down next to her and looked up at her bold brown eyes which were watering once again.

"How long has your Mum been gone?" he asked.

Abby gulped. "She went to find Emma three days ago." she answered, "I don't know where they are now."

The Doctor's eye's widened in horror. Three days alone, no wonder she was scared! He gripped her hand as her lip began to quiver.

"I'll find her," he promised, "And Emma."

_And I'll find Clara too_… he thought to himself.


	26. Something's Coming

Chapter 26: Something's Coming

Clara moaned slightly as the sudden heaviness of her eyelids became apparent. She felt rather disorientated but luckily the throbbing in her head soon began to cease. She opened her eyes after to a moment but it didn't make any difference. Wherever she was, it was pitch black. Even after her eyes had adjusted, she could only make out the outline of her hand when it was inches away from her face.

She sighed and slowly pushed herself up of the rather cold floor she had woken on. She slowly got up onto her feet and began to feel her way around. Maybe she'd find something of interest, or at the very least something to light the room up with. However, a way out was her preferred option.

"Hello?" she called out.

"Who's there?" a quiet voice piped up from behind her, well, she believed it came from behind her.

Clara gasped and jumped slightly. She spun around and directed her attention to the direction she believed the voice came from.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hi…" the voice greeted timidly.

It was definitely a girl who was speaking, probably a teenager or really young adult.

Clara approached her slowly, extending her arms to make sure she didn't walk into anything.

"Where are you?" Clara asked, futilely feeling around the space in front of her.

Suddenly, a hand appeared on her leg and she gasped slightly.

"Sorry." apologised the girl.

Clara bent down and felt a mattress which she assumed was what the girl was sitting on.

"Is there enough room for me?" she asked.

"Yeah, there should be." replied the girl.

Clara cautiously sat down and leant back on the cold wall. She directed her attention towards the girl and could just about see her faint outline.

"What's ya name?" questioned Clara.

"Emma." she replied, "You?"

Clara smiled even though it couldn't be seen. "Clara." she answered.

Emma laughed slightly. "Clara." she repeated, "I know someone called Clara…"

Clara smiled. "Well she has a great name." she said, "How d'ya get in 'ere?"

Emma sighed. "I dunno." she responded, "I was in the station and then everything went black. I dunno how long I was out but I woke up here."

"How long ya been 'ere?" questioned Clara.

"Three weeks… I think." she replied.

Clara frowned. "Does someone come and check up on ya?" she asked, "Are you fed?"

Emma shook her head. "No." she answered, "But I ain't been hungry."

"You've been here for three weeks and you haven't been hungry?" questioned Clara in disbelief.

"No." confirmed Emma.

Clara sighed before pushing herself off the mattress and regaining her balance.

"Where you going?" asked Emma, "There's no way out. Don't you think I've tried?"

Clara sighed. "Well I don't intent to just sit 'ere for another three weeks doin' nothin'." she said, "I had a friend on that station. He'll be lookin' for me and I intend to do my best to get back to 'im."

Emma sighed. "But there is physically no way out." she told her, "I've been round all the walls feeling for a way out, but there ain't anything."

Clara shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I'm gonna try." she told her, "You can sit there if ya want, or ya can 'elp me."

Emma sighed. "There's no point." she objected.

"Suit yourself." said Clara.

x-[]-x

The Doctor walked through the station with Abby's hand firmly gripped around his. He couldn't deny he found it rather comforting for some bizarre reason but it was also bringing back some rather bittersweet memories. It had been a long time since he had dealt with looking after children…

"So Abby," he began, "Where did your Mum go? I mean, what was she doing before she disappeared?"

"Emma disappeared." she explained, "Mum went to look for her… but she never came back."

The Doctor nodded and looked around his surroundings. It wasn't just Abby's family he was looking for, it was Clara too.

"And who's Emma?" he asked.

"My sister." she replied as if it should have been obvious, "How come you don't know who she is?"

The Doctor stopped and looked down at her. He could see her confusion as easily as he felt his. Whoever she was, she knew him.

He crouched down in front of her and looked up into her deep brown eyes.

"How do you know me?" he asked, "How do you know who I am?"

Abby's frowned intensified. "Why would you ask that…?" she asked.

However, as she continued to look at the Doctor, it became apparent that he didn't recognize her.

"You don't know who I am, do you?" she questioned.

The Doctor smiled weakly and shook his head. "Sorry." he apologised.

Abby felt her heart break slightly. Her mother had told her it was possible that she'd meet him one day and he wouldn't know her. However, she had never expected to be alone when she did.

She pulled her hand away and bit her lip in order to stop the tears. She knew him as easily as she knew the alphabet. She loved him to pieces. The way he looked at her when they were all together, him, Clara and the rest of her family, showed her just how much he loved her. He'd look at her with a smile which would put the Cheshire Cat to shame, but not this time. This time he looked straight through her, as if she were no one, as if she meant nothing to him…

"Will you still help me find Mum?" she asked after a moment.

"I made you a promise." he reminded her, "I don't go back on my promises."

She nodded as he stood up. He smiled weakly as he could see that she was upset that he didn't know who she was. He sighed when she looked away but offered his hand out to her.

She was hesitant at first but gripped her hand around it once again as they continued to walk through the station. She really wanted to find her Mum and then go and see the future Doctor, the one who actually knew who she was.

x-[]-x

"I told you there was no point!" Emma cried as she flopped back down on the mattress, "There's nothing in here."

Clara was about to agree when her wandering hand suddenly came across a panel on the wall.

"That's strange…" she said, "I could 'ave sworn that weren't there a minute ago."

Emma look towards Clara's direction and was shocked as she uncovered a monitor. The light emanating from the screen lit the room up considerably so Emma took a look around the cell which had been her home for the past three weeks. She was right when she said there was no obvious door.

The room itself was square and quite small. The mattress she was sat on was opposite the monitor which had just been uncovered and there was another mattress to the left of it. However, apart from the mattresses there wasn't anything else barring a chair which was positioned in front of the monitor.

"No way has that been there all this time." Emma stated, "I would have found it ages ago."

Clara turned to face Emma and finally saw her for the first time. In the light of the monitor, her hair looked quite dark so she assumed it was either brown or black. It came just passed her shoulders and she was dressed in a black pair of three-quarter jeans and navy blue blouse… well, it looked navy blue but it could have been grey. Whichever it was, it was a dark colour. She also looked quite young, probably about 16 or 17 years old.

Emma also took the opportunity to see what Clara looked like. She couldn't see her face clearly as the light was shining on it yet she could see her hair was dark brown and slightly shorter that hers. She looked like she was in her mid-twenties and she also looked human.

Clara smiled at Emma before taking a seat in the rather comfy chair and beginning to mess with the controls for the monitor. It didn't take her long to gain access to the system and she soon realised they were actually in an underground chamber under the station.

"No way…" she whispered.

Emma was intrigued and made her way over to Clara, watching over her shoulder as she made it past every encryption with great ease.

"There are cameras in every part of that station and there are thousands of streams, each one monitoring every single person up there." she said in amazement, "The perfect security system…"

"Can you hack into it?" Emma asked.

Clara scoffed. "Of course." she sneered.

Emma smiled as Clara got past yet another encryption and found herself in the main part of the system.

"Do you think you can find my sister?" she asked.

Clara nodded. "What's her name?" she asked, "Or her ID number?"

Emma scratched her head. "Abigail." she answered.

Clara typed her name in the search engine. "And surname?" she questioned.

Emma bit her lip. "56992." she told her.

Clara frowned. "Is that her ID number?" she asked.

Emma smiled weakly. "No." she admitted, "_Officially _that's her surname."

Emma half expected Clara to object or at the very least question the number but surprisingly she didn't. Instead she just shrugged her shoulders and continued.

"5-6-9-9-2…" Clara recited as she typed it with the keyboard.

She clicked enter and soon after a screen popped up before them, clearly displaying a young girl of 12 following a man wearing a brown jacket whose back was turned to the camera.

Clara smiled. There was only one person who could carry off that insane dress sense and make it work: The Doctor.

x-[]-x

The Doctor had begun scanning for Clara's life signs. For some reason, he didn't know why, but he had a strong feeling that finding Clara would ultimately lead to Abby's family.

The woman in the shadows watched him intensely. There was only an hour to go and it was her mission to get him to safety. She continued to watch him for a moment while he began to scan the wall.

"You're friend is safe." the woman said, startling not only him but the little girl too.

The Doctor swiftly turned on his heels and saw the woman step out of the shadows. She was dressed in a long royal blue cape and her face was covered by her thick black hair.

"Who are you?" he questioned, "Where's Clara?"

"She's safe." the woman confirmed, "But you aren't Doctor. Come with me. For God Sake, if you want to live, come with me!"

The Doctor frowned. "Why aren't I safe?" he asked.

The woman shook her head and chucked a device at him which he swiftly caught.

"They warned me you'd be difficult." she told him, "When the time comes, follow that map. It will take you to safety."

The Doctor looked towards Abby and then back to the woman.

"What's so dangerous?" he asked.

The woman shook her head. "Something's coming." she told him, "When the time comes, follow the map."

The Doctor's eyes never left her as she faded away into nothingness. Meanwhile, Abby shook her head in disbelief.

"Where'd she go?" she asked.

The Doctor looked around. "No idea." he admitted.

He then looked down at the device she had thrown at him. It gave a list of directions to a room about half a mile down the corridor they were in. However, he had no intention of visiting that any time soon. If there was some sort of danger approaching, he wasn't going to protect himself from it without Clara at his side.


	27. Protection Programme (Part I)

Chapter 27: Protection Programme (Part I)

The Doctor couldn't get that mysterious woman's warning off his mind. What could have been so dangerous that she wanted him to go into hiding?

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when a loud piercing noise emanated down the corridor. The Doctor's hands swiftly covered his ears and attempted to blocked out a fraction of it while Abby let out a small cry as it resonated in her ear drums.

"_Sorry…" _apologised a voice that didn't come from a specific direction, _"Wrong button."_

The Doctor frowned and immediately spun around to checked his surroundings. He knew that voice…

"Clara?" he asked, trying not to show his confusion.

"'_ey up Trouble." _she greeted in a rather seductive voice, _"Miss me?"_

The Doctor was totally confused as he couldn't see where she was.

"Of course." he agreed, "Now... where are you?"

He heard her laugh slightly.

"_Look up." _she ordered.

He complied and so did Abby. However, all they saw a camera above their heads over the doorway.

"Well… you look _different_ to how I remember you." he pointed out.

"_Oh ha ha…" _she said sarcastically, _"Very funny… My sides are actually splitting…"_

The Doctor laughed and rolled his eyes. "So where are you?" he questioned as he examined the camera, "Why can't I see you?"

"_It's a camera, you div." _she pointed out, _"Camera's aren't two-way."_

"Well they should be!" he objected, pretending to be hurt by her insult.

"_Oh, stop sulking!" _she told him, _"You coming to get me?"_

He laughed slightly and winked up at the camera. "Of course." he confirmed, "But how are you doing that? How are you on the system?"

"_The room I'm in has a console inside."_ she told him, _"And no offence to the alien geniuses who built this place but it's pretty easy to hack."_

The Doctor smiled. That was his Clara alright, hacking and being brilliant as the same time.

"Do you know where you are?" he asked.

"_Not exactly…" _she admitted, _"According to the building plans, this room's in the middle of nowhere. However, when I did a background search on it, every result leads back to a room about half a mile down the corridor that you're in."_

The Doctor frowned and whipped out the device the woman had given him.

"That's where she wants us to go…" he whispered.

Abby looked up at him and could see his mind racing. In all the time that she'd known him, she'd never seen him look so confused. However, this was a younger version of the Doctor than the one she knew.

"_Who?" _asked Clara.

"That woman… in the blue cape." he said.

"_What woman?" _another voice asked over the loudspeaker.

Clara, who was still sat in the seat, spun around and faced Emma who was lying on her mattress. She was listening intently to the conversation between her and the Doctor but wasn't looking at the screen. She didn't even know what the Doctor looked like.

"_Who was that?" _the Doctor questioned.

Clara turned back to face the screen. "You're not the only one with a new friend." she told him, referring to the little girl who was stood near to him, "That's Abby, right?"

The Doctor frowned. _"How do you know her?" _he asked.

Clara smiled. "I'm with Emma." she replied.

Abby's eyes suddenly lit up. _"Emma's there?" _she asked.

Emma's head suddenly snapped towards the screen. Her smile broke out when the image of her little sister appeared. She quickly shot over to the monitor as the image zoomed onto Abby's face, completely cutting the Doctor out the shot.

"Yeah I'm here." she confirmed, "You okay?"

Abby's smile appeared properly for the first time in days. Knowing her sister was okay filled her with massive relief.

"_Is Mummy there?" _she asked.

Emma sighed and looked away from the screen to her feet.

"No…" she replied, "No mate, she's not."

Abby gulped and her smile suddenly faded. _"So where is she?" _she inquired.

Emma shook her head. "I dunno." she responded, "But we'll find her. We always do."

Clara looked up at the teenager who stood over her shoulder. She had the deepest sympathy for her and her little sister. She didn't understand why, but she felt very protective over Emma and knowing that she was upset actually ate away at her heart a little.

x-[]-x

The Doctor continued to make his way towards the room the mysterious woman had said he should go to 'when the time comes'. However, the reason he was going there was because somehow it was linked to wherever Clara was.

Abby had followed in his wake, very excited at the prospect of finally finding her sister. As they walked, her attention was drawn to a dark cloud approaching the station. It was approaching rapidly and it didn't look too friendly.

"Doctor…" she started but trailed off.

He stopped in his tracks and looked over at her. He noticed her gaze and looked out of the window himself. When his eyes met the cloud, he felt a shiver down his spine.

_Something's coming… _he remembered the woman say.

He snapped his gaze away from the approaching storm and looked at that section's camera.

"Clara, you there?" he questioned.

"_Well, I'm not going anywhere." _she replied almost instantly.

"Can you scan outside the station?" he asked.

"_Yeah…" _she replied,_ "Why?"_

"There's some sort of storm coming." he informed her.

"_Say no more!" _she told him,_ "Give us a few minutes."_

Clara immediately got to work and began to scan the area outside the station. Emma watched in amazement as her hands danced across the keyboard faster than a rocket launching.

"Uh-Oh…" Clara moaned when the scan was complete.

Emma was intrigued. She suddenly made her way over and peered over Clara's shoulder.

"What's wrong?" she questioned.

"That storm..." began Clara.

Emma frowned. "What about it?" she inquired.

Clara looked up at her. "It's not a storm…"

"_Doctor!" _Clara shouted down the loudspeaker.

The Doctor quickly stopped scanning the storm with his sonic screwdriver and looked up towards the camera in that section.

"What is it?" he asked.

"_That storm." _she began, _"It'__s a swarm of vessels... They're __all primed, in an attack formation… and heading this way."_

The Doctor sighed. There was no doubt in his mind that this wasn't the danger the woman was referring to.

"Run Doctor." a voice which appeared behind him ordered.

He quickly spun around and saw the mysterious woman stood there. However, this time her hood was down and he could clearly see her face.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"They'll be here in less than five minutes." she told him, "Run!"

The Doctor shook his head. "Just tell me who you are." he demanded.

The woman sighed. "My name's Shyanne Delacore of the BM Protection Programme." she explained, "Doctor please… Go!"

"I don't understand…" he admitted, "Are those things after me?"

She nodded. "You, Miss Clara, Emma, Abigail and the BM." she informed him, "Please Doctor. I've already hidden Clara and Emma but the sedative couldn't be used on Abigail or yourself. Please, go."

The Doctor shook his head. "Why couldn't you have just told me this before?" he asked, "I could have taken Clara and left!"

"No!" she cried solemnly, "They have to believe you're dead, or they'll never leave you alone."

The Doctor's frown intensified. "Who are they?" he questioned.

"JUST GO!" she exclaimed.

The Doctor needed no other encouragement. Whoever she was, she was serious when she said he was in danger.

"Where?" he asked.

"End of the corridor, the room on the right." she directed, "There's a red button in the middle of the panel on the wall. Hit it and it will transport you to the safety cell. I'll release you as soon as the coast is clear. Now go!"

The Doctor nodded and grabbed Abby's hand.

"Come on!" he said.

They began to race down the corridor in the direction Shyanne had told them. The Doctor could feel that Abby was struggling to keep up with him and no matter how much he wanted to slow down in order to help her, he could see the swarm were approaching rather quickly. They even looked like vessels at that point.

"Come on, we're almost there!" he reassured her as they ran.

Moments later they reached the final section before reaching the room. However, that was also the moment that the vessels began to open fire at the station. The station shook violently several times and many panels blew off the wall.

Abby screamed and instinctively ducked as a panel near to her and the Doctor flew off the wall towards her head. The Doctor could hear the moral panic spreading throughout the station. The guilt he felt was enormous… those vessels were attacking the station in order to get to him. He didn't even know who they were!

Seconds later they reached the desired room and the Doctor immediately ran over and hit the red button on the panel. The door immediately shut behind them and suddenly the entire room was taken over by a blinding white light.

The Doctor shut his eyes as the brightness increased and seconds later he felt an almighty surge of pain run down his body. That was the last thing he remembered before everything went black...


	28. Protection Programme (Part II)

Chapter 28: Protection Programme (Part II)

She groaned as she slowly opened her eyes. Whatever had just happened to her, it hadn't been pleasant. The light from a screen to the left of her was blinding and she immediately looked away.

"Abbs?" asked a voice above her.

She opened her eyes once again and saw the face of her sister looking down at her. Her entire body filled with joy and she sat up slowly with her assistance. Her smile beamed and seconds later she wrapped her arms around her neck. Emma gladly hugged her back, relieved that she was safe.

Clara watched as they began to chatter amongst themselves, Emma constantly double checking that her sister was okay. She smiled but her attention soon turned to the Doctor as she heard him stir.

She knelt down next to him as he began to rub his forehead and still closed eyes.

"Oh, my head…" he moaned.

Clara smiled as he slowly opened his eyes. His smile grew when he saw her and he went to sit up. However, he suddenly became extremely dizzy which Clara quickly noticed.

"Whoa…" she soothed as she supported his back while he rubbed his eyes once again, "Take ya time. That transmat really messes with your 'ead."

A few seconds passed as he let his head refocus. Once the dizziness passed, he looked up at Clara and smiled. His body filled with relief when he saw she was okay… His Clara…

He breathed a sigh of relief and rested his forehead against hers. She was all he needed for a moment, he just needed to be close to her and feel her skin against his.

He slowly lifted his head and kissed her forehead, still refusing to pull away.

"Never do that to me again." he whispered.

Clara pulled away and looked at him, clearly puzzled by his demand. "What?" she asked.

The Doctor smiled. "Leave me…" he responded.

Clara smiled and rolled her eyes. "Well I'll do me best not to be kidnapped again, okay?"

The Doctor laughed slightly before beginning to push himself off the floor. Clara quickly stood up herself and assisted him up. It took him a moment to regain his balance but as soon as he had, he took a look around the room.

At that point, Emma had assisted Abby off the floor. She was about to introduce herself but the Doctor spoke beforehand.

"It's a bit dark in here." he commented, "Let's see if we can get a bit of light in this place."

It was then that he reached into his pocket and retrieved his screwdriver. He activated it and suddenly the cell lit up to a better light level.

Clara took the opportunity to take a proper look around the cell. It was larger than she had realised. There were four mattresses along the walls, two either side of the console which was in the centre of the far wall.

She shook her head. "They weren't there a minute ago." she commented.

Emma was about to agree when her eyes fell onto the Doctor. It was the first time she had seen his appearance and her jaw dropped slightly.

"It's you…" she whispered in disbelief.

Abby gulped slightly and nudged her in the leg. Emma immediately looked down and saw Abby shake her head.

"He doesn't know us yet." she whispered up to her.

The Doctor watched the two girls intensely, attempting to find any clue to who they were. He had to admit they looked slightly familiar but he couldn't explain how. They both had deep brown eyes similar to Clara's and their hair seemed to be a similar shade of brown that Bronwin had.

He shook that thought out of his head. Surely one of these girls wasn't Bronwin…

Emma then looked up at the Doctor and she smiled weakly. "Sorry…" she apologised, "I'm Emma by the way."

The Doctor acknowledged the greeting. "I'm the Doctor." he said, "But you already know that… _How_ do you already know that?"

Emma smiled and shook her head. "You know I can't tell you." she pointed out.

The Doctor nodded. "Yeah… I kind of figured that…"

He then whipped his head towards the console. There was no point dwelling on something he couldn't know.

He dashed over to the console and sat down on the chair, quickly familiarising himself with the technology. Clara joined him while to two girls remained where they were. Emma could see Abby was close to tears, not surprisingly really. She'd always had a close bond with the Doctor.

"Hey…" she soothed, rubbing Abby's arm as she knelt down in front of her, "As soon as we find Mum we'll go and see him, _our_ Doctor."

Abby looked back at the Doctor whose fingers were racing across the console. She then turned back to her sister.

"Promise?" she questioned.

Emma nodded. "Yeah." she confirmed, "But I need you to carry on not telling him anything. Can you do that?"

Abby nodded. "Yeah." she replied.

"Good girl." complimented Emma before she rose to her feet, "Come on."

She extended her hand out to Abby who accepted. Together they made their way over to the Doctor's side and watched… whatever it was he was doing.

He quickly looked around at them and smiled before continuing. A few seconds later, camera images from the station appeared on the screen. The images horrified them all.

"Oh my God…" gasped Clara.

The Doctor gulped as his eyes ingested the images. Many of the cameras were inoperable but the few which were still working showed the station being violently attacked. Rubble was scattered over the floors and some walls were non-existent. Groups of terrified people were huddled in the safest places they could find and explosions were the most common occurrence that could be seen.

The Doctor clenched his fist as the guilt pulsed through his veins. There were people in danger up there as the bullets pelted the station in order to get to him. However, he was sat in a cell in complete safety. It didn't seem fair…

However, not everything was as it seemed. The Doctor believed the thousands of people up in the station were dying, especially as the number of life signs decreased, but that wasn't the case.

A moment later, a figure on the screen appear. It was dressed in a long blue cape and when it came across a group of people, it stuck a device on their arms and moments later, they transported away.

The Doctor smiled when he saw this as he realised that nobody was actually dying. Instead, they were being sent away to safety. He assumed the figure was Shyanne and his smile intensified when he saw there were others in blue capes saving other groups of people in the station. That knowledge helped eliminate the majority of guilt he was feeling.

"Oh, thank God…" he breathed.

x-[]-x

They had been in that cell for hours. The Doctor had grown bored of searching through the databases and had retreated to a nearby mattress. Clara had taken a seat next to him and they had begun to chat. Meanwhile, Emma was sat by her sleeping sister, almost ready to drop off herself.

"Will the TARDIS be safe up there?" questioned Clara.

The Doctor nodded. "She won't have a scratch on her." he said proudly.

Clara sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. "How long d'ya think it'll take?" she asked.

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders slightly, careful not to disturb her head. The noise of the lasers could still be heard but they had gradually decreased over the past few hours.

"I don't know." he admitted, "It shouldn't be too long. Well, at least I hope not."

Clara peered over at Emma who had fallen asleep by that point.

"Who are they?" she queried.

The Doctor shook his head. "I've no idea. he confessed, "But they both know us."

Clara nodded slightly. "I know…" she agreed, "Time travel is such a headache sometimes…"

The Doctor smiled and rested his head slightly on top of hers.

"You can always go home if you want." he mentioned.

Clara scoffed. "Why would I stop travelling with you?!" she cried, "No matter how dangerous and confusing it is, I'd never give it up."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow. "Never?" he asked.

Clara pulled away and looked at him. As soon as their eyes met, she shook her head.

"No." she confirmed.

The Doctor smiled and he tilted his head slightly.

"Have I ever told you how amazing you are?" he asked.

Usually Clara would have said something back but she physically couldn't be bothered to think of anything clever. She just wanted him.

She pulled his head towards her and their lips locked for a moment, sending waves of pleasure down both of their spines.

"Does that answer your question?" she asked in a whisper as their foreheads rested against one another.

The Doctor smiled. "I should say it more often." he told her.

"Yeah, you should." she agreed.

"Oh, enough with the flirting please!" Emma groaned.

The Doctor and Clara's attention turned to her. Her eyes were still closed as she leant against the wall and her hand was interlocked with Abby's.

The Doctor smiled. "Well you shouldn't be listening." he stated, "You should be asleep like your sister."

Emma smiled and opened her eyes. "Do you honestly think I can sleep knowing what's happening above us?" she questioned, "And you two flirting doesn't help."

Clara smiled. It was a weird feeling. Even though she'd never actually met Emma before, she felt totally comfortable talking to her casually, like she was someone she had known for years.

Emma was about to continue when the Doctor help up his finger signalling for her to stay silent.

"Do you hear that?" he questioned.

Both Clara and Emma frowned. "Hear what?" Clara asked.

The Doctor smiled. "Exactly!" he exclaimed looking up at the ceiling, "The bombardment's stopped…"

Right on cue with the Doctor's words, a door suddenly appeared in the wall and slowly began to open. The Doctor pushed himself to his feet and aided Clara to hers. Abby was also woken by the racket.

When the door opened fully, they saw Shyanne stood in the archway. Her smile was broad and she nodded at the Doctor.

"You're free to go." she told them, "They've left the system."

Clara smiled and bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. She couldn't help but see the irony in that statement. It was almost as if they were being released from prison after committing a crime.

The Doctor nodded and exited the room along with Clara into a brightly lit corridor. He was glad to stretch his legs and Clara was more than ready to leave. All they had to do now was find the TARDIS.

Abby and Emma exited seconds later. Emma breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank God for that…" she sighed, "Three weeks in there is more than enough."

Abby frowned. "It's only been three days." she told her.

Emma frowned. "No it hasn't." she objected, "It's been three weeks!"

Shyanne sighed. "Ahh… I'm afraid that's our fault." she admitted.

Emma turned to face her. "How?" she inquired.

"This place is in a compressed time stream." she explained, "It makes it harder to detect. I'm afraid when we first put you in here we set it wrong. You have only been here three days…"

Emma shook her head in disbelief. The Doctor sworn that if looks could kill, Shyanne wouldn't have been standing any longer.

"Oh thanks." she expressed cynically, "Thanks a lot."

Shyanne sighed and turned to the Doctor. "The TARDIS is here." she informed him, "Just in that room."

The Doctor's eyes lit up and looked to where she was pointing.

"Thanks." he expressed before turning to Emma, "Do you still need help finding your Mum?"

"Oh, she's here." interrupted Shyanne, "We had to place her in the highest safety cell. They're releasing her now."

Abby's smile grew and so did Emma's when she saw the delight in her sister's face.

"It's quite alright Doctor." she replied to his earlier question, "But you better go."

It wasn't that she wanted him to go; she just didn't want him to meet their Mum yet. It was still too early in his time stream.

The Doctor took the hint and nodded. "It's been nice to meet you both." he confirmed, "I have a feeling it won't be the last time."

Emma nodded. "I think you're right." she admitted, "Bye Doctor. Bye Clara."

They all exchanged their final goodbyes before Clara and the Doctor were reacquainted with the TARDIS and materialised away.

Abby sighed as she heard it disappear.

"That was so hard…" she admitted, "He's never looked at me like that before."

Emma sighed and kissed the top of her head while wrapping her arms around her neck from behind.

"I know mate." she agreed, "I know…"


	29. The Doctor's Nights: The Worst Night

Chapter 29: The Doctor's Nights: The Worst Night

It had been minutes since Abby had heard the TARDIS leave. Her desire to be reunited with her mother and then go and see the Doctor increased with every passing second.

Moments later, a door at the end of the corridor burst open and revealed the silhouette of her beloved mother. She immediately broke away from her sister's embrace and sprinted towards her.

"Mummy!" she cried.

Her mother collapsed onto her knees and enveloped her arms around her, clearly relieved to see her daughter once again.

"Oh Abby…" she sighed, treasuring the moment that she remained in her arms.

Emma also made her way over. She couldn't put into words the happiness she felt as she now knew her mother was okay. She was also glad that Abby was happy once again.

Her mother pulled away from Abby and stood up before pulling her into her arms.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're both okay." she breathed.

Abby sighed and wrapped her arms around her mother's waist.

"Where were you?" the little girl questioned.

Their mother shook her head and bent down to kiss the top of her head.

"It doesn't matter." she assured her.

Emma sighed as her Mum once again enclosed her arms around her sister. She knew the reason why her Mum had been placed in the highest safety cell; after all, it was her that the armada had been attempting to destroy. That also explained why the Doctor and Clara had been locked up…

"Can we go and see Grumps?" Abby asked after a moment.

Her Mum laughed slightly before rolling her eyes. For as long as she could remember, ever since _her_ mother had introduced the name, Abby and Emma had always referred to the Doctor as 'Grumps'. He hadn't been thrilled with it as first but he gradually got used to it. It was at a point now that if they didn't call him 'Grumps', he knew that there was seriously wrong with them.

"Later." she replied.

"Mum, I promised her." Emma explained.

Their mother frowned and she looked between her daughters.

"Why?" she questioned, "What's happened?"

Emma sighed. "He just met us for the first time." she disclosed.

Her Mum felt her hearts drop slightly. "Oh girls, I'm sorry." she apologised sympathetically.

Abby bit her lip and looked down at her feet.

"We'll go and see him… right now." she promised.

Abby lifted her head and smiled weakly. Her Mum smiled back. She had always known the girls would meet him at a time he wouldn't know who they were; she just never expected it to be in such an extreme circumstance.

They began to walk down the corridor, arm in arm.

"How long ago was this, you know, for you and Grumps?" Emma asked as they walked.

Her mother sighed. "Ooh…" she moaned as she thought, "I wasn't even born in one time stream. As for the other time stream… I think it was just before they met Annika."

Emma's eyes widened slightly. "Whoa…" she sighed, "He really was young."

Her Mum laughed slightly. "Yeah, you could say that." she agreed.

"Were you… you know?" asked Emma before trailing off to keep her sister in the dark.

Her mother caught on quite quickly and laughed. "No." she replied, "I was still a twinkle in his eye…"

Emma laughed. "I haven't heard you say that for ages." she commented.

"Oh well." said her Mum.

Emma smiled before her mum began to look between them.

"Come on," she started, "Let's go get your Dad."

x-[]-x

Clara couldn't deny it, after hours of being locked up in that cell, she was more than glad to be home. Funny, she hadn't realised she had begun to refer to the TARDIS as 'home'.

As she lay in her bed that night, she gladly embraced the dream world. After all she had seen that day; she was more than confident that any 'nightmare' she experienced wouldn't be able to scare her... not that night.

Meanwhile, the Doctor was at the console adding yet another mystery to his list. He had the strongest feeling that Emma and Abby were somehow connected to Bronwin and the others. He didn't know if that was even possible but he couldn't ignore his instincts.

After an hour of scavenging the database for any additional information, he gave up and turned off the display. He was eager for a new adventure but Clara was still fast asleep and dreaming so that was definitely off the cards until she was awake.

He really hated nights. It was the only time when he could actually feel how slow time progressed. They used to be fun when he was married to River. He'd go out with her while her parents slept and usually just go and get in trouble. However, he gave that up a long time ago. Well, he hadn't given it up; it just wasn't the same anymore as he had no-one to share it with.

The TARDIS seemed to notice his boredom and began to hum, bringing his thoughts back to reality. He smiled slightly before shushing the console.

"Don't you dare wake her." he warned.

The console immediately quietened down after the Doctor's warning and began to land somewhere as quietly and gently as possible.

"N-No!" objected the Doctor, "I didn't mean I wanted to go somewhere!"

The console began to flash slightly, almost as if it was calling his bluff.

"No!" the Doctor repeated once again.

However, his machine had other ideas. Seconds later the door began to slowly open.

He suddenly heard faint music coming from outside, each note increased in volume and in turn, increased his wish to be apart of it. His smile began to beam but he didn't want to give into his original wish… He wasn't going out!

The door opened a little more, allowing more of the music to enter his eardrums. After a moment, his desire became too strong and he gave in.

He sprinted over to the door and popped his head out. He began to exit his TARDIS, slowly closing the door behind him. Before he shut it completely, he took one last look over the control room.

"Look after her, dear." he pleaded.

The console flashed in response which made him smile. He didn't intend to be long but he knew that however long he was, Clara was protected by the other most important thing in his life: the TARDIS.

x-[]-x

When Clara awoke, the TARDIS was eerily quiet. It was still the middle of the night yet there were no common noises coming from down the corridor. She couldn't hear the TARDIS engines as they drifted through space and above all, she couldn't hear the Doctor.

When she first began to sleep on the TARDIS, the noises during the night used to drive her insane. She soon learnt that if she attempted to block a particular noise out, it just amplified it instead. She also didn't like how the Doctor himself attempted to be quiet as he unintentionally made a lot more noise than when he did while he was awake. However, she had grown accustom to it so not hearing it was quite concerning.

Clara slowly sat up and slowly pushed herself out of bed. She quickly wrapped her shawl around her shoulders before heading down to the control room. Usually that's where the Doctor would have been but he wasn't that night…

"Doctor…?" she asked, hoping he would pop out from somewhere like usual.

However, the room remained quiet and definitely Doctor-free. She began to look around the room, making sure he was hidden somewhere… No, he definitely wasn't there.

"Doctor?" she called.

At that moment, the console began to light up. It made her jump at first but then she realised it was trying to tell her something. She began to follow a trail of flashing lights, clicking them as soon as they lit up.

After a moment, the screen activated and it showed Clara the outside of the TARDIS. She frowned while the image focused but then she saw him on the screen slowly heading back towards the door. His smile was beaming and he was swaying happily.

Seconds later, the TARDIS door opened and he floated inside. However, he soon snapped out of it as soon as he saw her.

"Clara?" he asked, "What are you doing up? You should be in bed."

She looked over at him. "Where've you been?" she asked.

He smiled. "Just a party." he answered, "Nothing special."

Clara frowned. "Is this what ya do at night while I'm asleep?" she asked, "Go to parties without me?"

The Doctor brushed his hair out of his face. "Well, in my defence, I didn't actually plan to go out tonight." he informed her.

Clara sniggered. "And what?" she enquired, "The TARDIS made ya?"

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders and straightened his wonky bow tie. "Yes actually." he confirmed.

Clara sighed. "Do you do this every night?" she asked, "Have extra adventures without me?"

The Doctor shook his head. "No, not every night." he replied.

"But most nights?" quizzed Clara.

The Doctor sighed before leaning on the bar to his side.

"I don't sleep as much as humans," he told her, "So I keep busy."

Clara smiled weakly. She was just about to ask something else when a knock suddenly sounded throughout the room.

"_Doctor?" _called a man, _"You in there?"_

The Doctor turned to the door for as long as it took Clara to bite her lip. She understood that the Doctor was allowed to have fun and go out without her; it just hurt her that he never mentioned any of these 'little trips' to her. What other secrets did he keep from her?

"Give me a minute." he shouted in response before turning back to Clara.

Clara looked away slightly, avoiding his gaze completely.

"You better go." she told him, trying to keep how hurt she felt hidden, "Ya don't wanna keep ya friends waitin'."

She swiftly turned away and began to head back to her room, quickly enough that the Doctor wouldn't be able to stop her.

The Doctor gulped. "Clara…" he called.

He was about to head after her when the door to the TARDIS suddenly burst open. A man dressed in a black tuxedo entered with a huge grin on his face.

"Come on mate." he cried, "The lads are dyin' for a drink… and it's your round."

The Doctor's eyes, which hadn't broken away from the direction Clara had headed in, quickly broke away to look at him before returning to their previous position.

"I'll buy the next one." he promised, "There's something I gotta take care of first."

_Leave her… _a voice sounded in his head.

His neck immediately snapped in the direction of the console which had begun to slowly light up. At that point, he realised it was his TARDIS warning him to give Clara some space.

He sighed before turning back to the man. "Actually Buster there's nothing I can do for now." he stated, "So that round of drinks… It's my turn?"

Buster's face lit up. "Now ya talkin' mate!" he exclaimed before running back out of the TARDIS.

The Doctor slowly began to head back out. He stopped for a moment while his thoughts returned back to Clara. He fully understood why she felt hurt. Amy had used to feel the same way when he went out while she slept.

He had to make it up to her… somehow.

"_Doctor?" _Buster called from outside the TARDIS.

The Doctor snapped back to reality. "Yeah, I'm coming." he confirmed.


	30. The Doctor's Nights: The Better Night

Chapter 30: The Doctor's Nights: The Better Night

Their interactions that day had been very awkward. The Doctor, on many occasions, had wanted to engage in conversation with her yet he never knew exactly what to say. That was a first…

It wasn't that Clara was angry, she was far from it, she was just hurt, not at the fact he went out without her, because those actions had made her realise just how small a part she was in his life. When she thought about it, she was nothing…

They didn't actually go anywhere that day. Instead, Clara spent most of her time locked in her room. She couldn't deny the fact that she loved him, he was her best friend. It was just that when she looked at him, she didn't know if he knew her like she wished he did.

She had to continue to remind herself that he wasn't human and it hurt her, much more than she was willing to admit. She was so tiny compared the rest of his life… Did he even notice her? In a few centuries, would even remember who she was?

That night she lay in her bed wide awake. She had heard the Doctor leave hours beforehand. She could tell by how he had been acting all day that he was trying to find out how to make it up to her, he had even promised not to go out that night. However, that was his first mistake as that had really ticked her off.

"_Don't you dare!" she warned him._

_The Doctor frowned. _

"_Don't you dare do that!" she repeated, "Don't cut ya nose off to spite your face!"_

_The Doctor sighed. "Clara, what do you want me to do?" he questioned, "Tell me please because I don't know."_

_She shook her head slightly and once again had to remind herself that he wasn't human. _

"_Go out… Do what you always do." she told him, "And above all, don't you dare stay in tonight."_

_The Doctor's confusion doubled._

"_If you do I'll go home." she stated._

"_Clara…" he begged._

_However, she had heard enough. She was too stubborn for her own good, she always had been, and unfortunately for the Doctor, he had just met the stubborn side of her._

_She didn't want him to go out but after him promising not to just to 'keep her happy', she was annoyed. _

She was still annoyed to be honest. However, she was also missing him quite a lot. He was _her_ Doctor, the one who she had manage to bring back to life. The one which made her heart beat whenever they were in the same room. Did he even realise that? Did he know how much he mean to her?

She knew he hadn't wanted to go out that night. The fact that he had proved to her that she did mean something to him, but what? That was the question which was haunting her. What exactly did she mean to him?

She heard him come in not long after, whistling. However, it wasn't his usual happy tune; it was more of a sombre one. She heard him head down the corridor and pass her room. He seemed to stop for a moment right outside her door but then continued on his way.

Not long after he returned back to the control room and exited the TARDIS once again. Clara, who had been listening carefully, pushed herself up and slowly exited her room. Although he had only just gone out, she made her way to the control room and sat down on the step waiting for him to return.

She had always known that if you ever had an argument or dispute with someone, you should always try to talk it out. She had always told people that it was the best thing to do in that circumstance so why when it was between her and the Doctor was she so afraid to do just that?

x-[]-x

The Doctor came back into the TARDIS looking rather flustered. He failed to notice Clara sat on the step and he headed over to the console, rather glad to fly away from wherever it was that they were.

His hair looked a mess, his bowtie was wonky and above all, he was carrying a rather large and sharp object. To Clara, it looked like a javelin or at least something very similar.

"Good night out?" she questioned.

He jumped as her voice echoed through the room. He looked around at her and quickly attempted to hide the metal javelin behind his back… obviously very badly.

Clara frowned. "You're attempting to conseal a javelin." she pointed out, "Who does that?"

The Doctor smiled weakly before bringing the object back in front of him.

"Me…" he confirmed.

He looked away and began to pilot the TARDIS once again. Clara's eyes never left him as he began to circle the console before he placed the javelin on the floor underneath the console. He eventually ended up directly in front of her while leaning on the console.

"Where've ya been?" she asked, her voice soft and quiet.

"Out." he replied.

"Doing what?" she quizzed, "And tell me, please. You're my best friend Doctor, so tell me what it is that ya do."

The Doctor sighed. "Okay…" he began, "I just singlehandedly fought off an armada of Cybermen at the 2032 Olympics. Before that I saved the Bavarian Child Princess' pet goldfish from being eaten by Turka Sharks, I conducted the orchestra at Elizabeth VI's Golden Jubilee, Stopped three supernovas, Had tea and biscuits with Elizabeth II and I think I may have just invented the hi-five thirty years to early…"

Clara nodded slightly and looked down at her hands in her lap. The Doctor noticed her lack of response and frowned slightly. You would have thought that he'd know her inside out by now but he still didn't know how to read her well. He could read many people as easily as books, but he always struggled with the ones he cared for the most.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Clara sighed and pushed herself up to her feet.

"I'm such a tiny part of your life, aren't I?" she asked as she made her way over and leant on the console next to him, "Out of all the things you do on a daily basis, I just flicker in and out of a few of them. I bet you hardly notice me."

The Doctor frowned. "Is that what this is about?" he questioned, "You think you mean nothing to me?"

Clara looked up at him and shrugged her shoulders slightly.

"Clara, you are an enormous part of my life." he explained, "All those little things like inventing the hi-five early and battling the Cybermen at the Olympics, that's nothing. If you were to ask me next year what I remember about now, I'd only be able to answer about you."

Clara shook her head. "You don't really mean that." she stated.

"Oh, I do." he confirmed, "Clara, you are all I ever remember. You are so special to me."

Clara smiled a little. "No I'm not." she objected.

The Doctor frowned and looked down at her. "Yes you are." he reinforce adamantly, "Clara… I don't invite just anyone to travel with me."

Clara smiled. "Do you really mean that?" she questioned.

The Doctor could see she was close to tears.

"Of course I do." he guaranteed, curling his hand around her neck and caressing it slowly, "_My_ Clara…"

Clara felt her lip quiver as a smile tugged in it. She was sure now that he meant exactly what he said.

She sighed as their noses touched and then she wrapped her arms around his neck. He gladly enclosed his around her, glad that he had finally expressed exactly what she meant to him.

"I'm sorry…" she apologised.

Clara pulled away from him after a moment but he didn't fully let go. His hand remained around her neck and he kissed her forehead before allowing their noses to touch once again.

"I am too." he told her, "I am too..."


	31. Too Close for Comfort

Chapter 31: Too Close for Comfort

Both the Doctor and Clara were eager to put their recent dispute behind them so when the Doctor landed the TARDIS, she was more than ready to go and take a look.

The Doctor being the gentleman he was, or at the very least tried to be, opened the door and insisted she stepped out first. The heat which greeted her was gladly welcomed as the TARDIS itself wasn't the warmest of places.

Clara's jaw dropped slightly as she took in the beauty of it. The Doctor, whose smile was plastered on his face, closed the TARDIS door behind him before joining her.

They were stood on a beach that looked vaguely similar to one found on Earth. The only noticeable difference was that the sea was a deep indigo colour and the sky above was a lighter shade of that.

"Wow!" exclaimed Clara.

The Doctor smiled. "I thought you'd like it." he stated.

Clara nodded. "Absolutely." she agreed, "But for some reason I 'ave a feelin' there's gonna be a little detour first…"

The Doctor laughed slightly. "Am I really that predictable?" he questioned.

Clara turned, looked up at him and nodded. "Yep." she replied, "So where we goin'?"

The Doctor looked towards a city which was opposite to the sea.

It looked very futuristic, like the kind of city you'd see on a Sci-Fi film back home. All the buildings were made out of metal and although there was an embankment masking the bottom of all the buildings, she was sure they weren't attached to the ground.

Both she and the Doctor made their way up the embankment and her jaw dropped when she saw the city.

"A floatin' city?!" she cried.

The Doctor smiled at her enthusiasm. This planet was definitely one of the ones which was a stereotypical idea of the future back on 21st Century Earth.

"'ow do we get up there?" questioned Clara as the entire city was at least twenty-foot off the ground.

The Doctor smiled once again.

"Jump." he told her.

Clara suddenly frowned. "What?" she asked in disbelief.

"Trust me, and jump." he repeated, "As high as you can."

Clara raised her eyebrow. "You ain't pullin' my leg, are ya?" she enquired.

The Doctor's smile suddenly disappeared and he looked down at her.

"Clara Oswald, do you trust me?" he asked.

"Always." she confirmed without any hesitation.

His smile returned. "Then jump." he ordered.

Clara sighed and grabbed his hand. Moments later, they both jumped. She didn't expect anything to happen but she had a shock as when they did, an extreme force suddenly pulled them towards the city.

The Doctor, who obviously knew that would happen, landed on his feet. Unfortunately, Clara wasn't as lucky. Her balance was completely messed up and if it weren't for the Doctor who immediately caught her, there was no doubt that she wouldn't have ended up on the floor.

"Rough way to travel." she joked as soon as she got her bearings back.

The place they had ended up was some sort of metal road. One side overlooked the beach where they had just come from. The other had buildings of all shapes and sizes going down it. Humanoid aliens walked along side of them on the paths. They looked similar to humans – and Timelords – apart from the fact that they had icy blue diamond-like ridges on their temples, hands and ankles.

The ridges themselves were like little studs and they didn't completely cover the affected areas, they were in little clusters. There was a line of four of them on the temples, extending from the corner of the eye to the hairline. The ones on their hands were in a small 'S' shape to the side, just under their fifth finger and there was a similar 'S' shape on the sides of their ankles.

"So where exactly are we going?" asked Clara.

"There." the Doctor told her, referring to a large bronze coloured building, "The Abanathii Museum."

Clara moaned. "Why are we goin' to a museum?" she questioned, "I hate museums!"

"I love Museums." he explained, "And somebody wants to see me."

Clara was suddenly intrigued. "Ooh, who?" she asked.

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "No idea." he admitted.

x-[]-x

The Museum wasn't exactly what Clara had expected. Instead of boring displays, it was more like a giant adventure centre. Well, not exactly but she couldn't think of any other way to describe it. There were ten large rooms which led away from the main hall, each one of them specific to either a certain time zone from the planet's history or other planets which she assumed where in the same solar system.

"AsHan RoKa-nOr Tu-in By Avix." greeted a smiling man who approached them.

Clara frowned slightly. "What?" she asked before looking towards the Doctor, "I'm sorry, what?!"

The Doctor was also frowning and by that point he had began to fiddle with his screwdriver.

"Hmm… Must be a loose connection." he said.

He aimed the screwdriver in the direction where the TARDIS had landed. Moments later, the speech from around them suddenly began to make sense.

The smiling man frowned slightly. "Sir? Madame?" he questioned.

"Sorry." the Doctor apologised with a smile, "You are…?"

"Avix." he replied, "I will be your personal tour guide today."

He then made his way over to Clara and kissed the back of her hand. "And may I say Ma'am, it will be an honour_._"

The Doctor frowned before pulling Clara away from his grasp.

"I think she could have understood that without the _KavCon, _don't you?" he questioned Avix.

Clara frowned and looked up at the Doctor. It wasn't like him to mock another species, let alone with their own language.

"I apologise, sir." he replied yet his smile stayed fixed and his eyes wandered back towards Clara, "Would you like any refreshments before we start?"

"Two large Terran teas." ordered the Doctor.

"Of course." he replied with a nod and a wink towards Clara.

The Doctor watched him walk away and only when he was gone from his eye sight did his frown begin to fade.

"What the 'eck was that about?" Clara asked, "He was only being friendly."

"Well there's friendly and then there's… that." objected the Doctor.

Clara rolled her eyes and smiled. "Are you jealous, Doctor?" she questioned.

The Doctor suddenly became very defensive and he straightened his bowtie, not that it actually needed straightening.

"No." he told her.

Clara's smile became more pronounced. "You are, ain't ya?" she teased.

"I am not _jealous _of him." the Doctor repeated.

Clara laughed slightly and shook her head. "You're unbelievable." she told him.

"I'm not jealous!" he cried.

His voice suddenly became very high and pitchy which he attempted to cover by clearing his throat.

Clara giggled. "Honestly Doctor, you're unbelievable." she repeated, "All the men are doing that. Look around."

The Doctor frowned and looked around at the people Clara was referring to. He saw all the male tour guides greeting the women in the groups with a kiss at the back of their hands.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say it's some sort of greetin'." continued Clara.

The Doctor's head tilted slightly as his brain remembered something.

"Oh, of course…" he whispered.

Clara raised her eyebrows. "What?" she asked.

"The Bandorian greeting." he said, "Males kiss females on the back of their right hand as a sign of respect when they first meet..."

Clara smiled. "See?" she asked as she stepped on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek, "Stop being stupid."

"Um… no." he confirmed before picking her up and spinning her around slightly, "That's never gonna happen."

Clara squealed slightly as her feet left the ground. She began to laugh but held on around the Doctor's neck.

"Put me down!" she demanded.

He complied seconds later and kissed her quickly before she had the chance to object.

"Oi!" she cried as soon as he pulled away, "That was sneaky!"

However, despite acting as if she was annoyed, her smile was beaming. The Doctor was about to respond when Avix suddenly appeared holding their two teas.

"Sir, Madame?" he began, "If you'd like to follow me?"

x-[]-x

It was fair to say that Clara was rather impressed with the museum. They had just entered the third section of it along with Avix who was gladly boasting about the wonder of his planet's history.

The Doctor was rather enjoying seeing Clara so amazed by the things she was seeing. Even though he was wary of Avix, he had lowered his guard as he knew he was only acting upon his customs when they had first met. It was strange… he hadn't felt so possessive over someone in a long, long time...

"Doctor?" a voice behind him asked.

He and Clara, who was stood at his side, suddenly spun around to see an elderly man dressed in a long black cape.

The Doctor's eyes widened. "Caven Trix?" he asked.

"It's good to see you too, Doctor." he winked.

Clara looked between the two men.

"Oh, I get it now." said the Doctor, "You're the one who called my via the physic paper."

Caven Trix patted his chest and shrugged his shoulders. "Guilty as charged." he admitted.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Stop using Terran expressions." he commanded, "I don't care if you are fascinated with humans."

Clara looked up at the Doctor. "Care to introduce us?" she asked.

"Yeah, sorry." he apologised, "Clara, Caven Trix. Caven Trix, Clara."

"Hi." greeted Clara.

"Hello." he greeted in response, holding his hand out in order to shake hers.

Clara frowned but then smiled as she shook his hand. Caven Trix frowned.

"This is how you 'shake hands', is it not?" he questioned.

"Yeah." replied Clara, "I just weren't expectin' it, that's all."

Caven Trix smiled was about to turn to speak to the Doctor when he saw her features properly for the first time.

"Are you human?" he asked, his body suddenly filled with excitement.

Clara smiled slightly and nodded. "Yeah, why?" she questioned.

"Wow…" he exclaimed before examining her face, "I've never seen a real human before."

He was about to grab her head so get a closer look at her features. However, the Doctor noticed and as soon as he stepped forward, he held his hand out in order to keep him away.

"Trix she's a person." he reminded him, "Not an artifact you can examine like a rock."

Caven Trix sighed. "Sorry." he apologised.

Clara smiled weakly. "It's fine." she confirmed before looking up at the Doctor, "I'm gonna just go and take another look around."

"Okay." agreed the Doctor who kissed her forehead before she left him.

Caven Trix raised his eyebrow slightly. "I've never seen you so _friendly _with one of your companion's before." he pointed out.

The Doctor smiled and looked over at Clara who was talking to Avix.

"Yeah…" he agreed.

Caven Trix smiled up at the Timelord who towered over him.

"You really like her, don't you?" he asked.

The Doctor sighed happily. "Is it really that obvious?" he questioned, "Anyway, you've called me here for something. What is it?"

"I was… hoping you would just confirm some of my information on humans." he told him.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Oh, Trix not again!" he cried, "I told you last time enough was enough."

"Yeah I know." said Trix, "But they're offering to pay me big time for my research so they can open a Terran department in this museum. Please, you gotta help me."

The Doctor sighed. "Right first thing's first, you have to call them 'humans'." he told him.

Meanwhile, Clara was still talking to Avix.

"So, where are you from?" he asked her, "I take it you aren't Covordian?"

Clara frowned. "Who are 'Covardian'?" she questioned.

Avix laughed slightly. "So you're not." he said, "Covardians are my people... On this planet. So what are you?"

Clara smiled. "I'm human." she told him.

He shook his head. "Never heard of 'humans'…" he told her.

Clara tilted her head slightly. "Terran?" she asked as she had heard the Doctor used that word many times that day while referring to humans.

Avix's eyes lit up. "You're from Earth?" he questioned, "My father used to travel to Earth a lot."

Clara smiled. "Well, that's where I'm from."

Avix smiled at her admiringly but then looked over the Doctor. Even though he was talking to someone else, he was constantly looking over at him and Clara.

"Does he treat you well?" he asked.

Clara frowned. "What kind of question is that?" she enquired.

Avix shrugged his shoulders. "You're a nice girl… very good looking." he told her, looking up and down her body.

She suddenly began to feel very uncomfortable. His tone has changed considerably and she could feel his eyes sting her skin as he look up and down her body.

"Can he give you everything that you want?" he questioned, advancing closer towards her.

Clara looked up at him. "Absolutely." she guaranteed, "Not like it's any of ya business."

She attempted to shove past him; however, he grabbed her wrist to prevent her from leaving.

"Let go of my 'and." she ordered.

His grip was strong and no matter how hard she tried to pull away, she couldn't.

"I said let go!" she shouted.

At that moment, the Doctor who had been lost in conversation with Caven Trix suddenly snapped his head towards Clara and saw her struggling against Avix.

"Hey!" he shouted before running over.

Avix instantly let go and Clara put as much distance between herself and him as possible. By this point, the security guards had also made their wat over to see what all the commotion was about.

"Ma'am?" the one questioned.

She began to rub her wrist but her eyes never left Avix.

"Keep 'im away from me." she begged.

The Doctor immediately pulled Clara into his chest for two reasons: One, to comfort her as she was physically shaking and two, to make she he didn't almost kill him considering he was growing increasingly angry.

The security guards whisked Avix away while the Doctor cupped Clara's head in his hands.

"You okay?" he asked.

She nodded while still rubbing her wrist.

"Yeah." she confirmed, "Can we go please?"

The Doctor nodded. "Yeah sure." he replied before kissing the top of her head.

He turned to Caven Trix. "Until next time." he acknowledged.

Caven Trix nodded. "Of course Doctor, Clara." he said.

Clara nodded before they began to head out of the museum. She couldn't deny that she was rather shook up after that encounter. If the Doctor hadn't been there, what else might have happened to her?


	32. From the Heart

Chapter 32: From the Heart 

Clara was curled up on the sofa in the control room. She had to admit that her wrist was quite sore and stiff but nothing she couldn't handle. She was just glad to back on the TARDIS.

The Doctor, after flying the TARDIS back into the Time Vortex, went to make Clara a hot drink. He couldn't deny that he had been angry, however, now he just felt relieved that nothing worse had happened to her. He'd already lost her twice; he wasn't prepared to make it a hat trick.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked for the thousandth time that day as he handed her the mug of coffee he had just made.

Clara smiled up at him as she accepted the cup. "Yeah." she confirmed.

The Doctor smiled weakly and leant back on the console. He'd never have forgiven himself if something had happened…

Silence fell in the control room and Clara noticed the Doctor zone out.

"Oi!" she exclaimed, "Stop thinkin' about 'im. He's gone."

The Doctor sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "I know." he confirmed.

Clara smiled weakly. It was nice to see his protective side yet she didn't like the fact he was slowly making himself ill over something that hadn't even occurred.

The Doctor slipped his hands into his trouser pockets while Clara took a sip of her coffee. Both of them were eager to find a new topic of conversation yet neither of them knew what to say or how to start one.

"So…" the Doctor began but trailed off.

For a moment they both looked at each other. As their eyes locked, both of them began to smile but attempted to keep a straight face. However, moments later they both burst out laughing.

"God Doctor…" cried Clara through her laughter, "You ridiculous idiot! You're like a big kid!"

The Doctor winked at her before straightening his bowtie. "For your information, I can be the complete opposite." he told her.

Clara laughed. "Yeah, right." she stated.

"I can." objected the Doctor, pretending to be hurt, "If someone needs me, I won't be far away."

Clara smiled weakly. "I know…" she agreed, "Especially when there's children involved."

The Doctor frowned. "What do you mean?" he questioned.

"Well, at that… station…" she began.

"The Hylamat Station?" he queried.

Clara nodded. "Yeah." she confirmed before continuing, "Everyone walked past that little girl like she weren't there, but not you. You actually bothered to see if she was okay."

The Doctor smiled weakly and nodded in agreement. "You can't just ignore children when they cry." he explained, "Any parent knows that."

Clara was about to continue with the conversation when her brain processed the Doctor's last few words.

"Are you a parent?" she asked.

The Doctor gulped slightly and looked away from her gaze. Clara watched intensely, quite eager to hear his response.

The Doctor sighed before raising his head and looking at her once again.

"No." he replied.

However, she could see by his face that it wasn't that simple.

"Have you _ever _been a parent?" she questioned.

The Doctor sighed. It had been a long time since he had though a lot about it. He'd been asked many times before but he'd always managed to avoid answering. However, this time he didn't think he was going to be as lucky.

The Doctor bit his lip and nodded slightly. "A long time ago." he admitted in a whisper, "But I lost them when I lost everything else…"

Clara felt her heart drop. That must have been a parent's worst nightmare, to see their children die before them. She knew that he had lost his planet during the war but it had never occurred to her that he had lost children, his _own_ children, during it.

"I'm sorry…" she apologised.

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "It was a long time ago." he told her.

Clara smiled. "I can't imagine ya with kids." she admitted, "Or even babysittin' kids."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow. "Hey! I'm great with kids." he told her, "I mean my friend…"

The Doctor's words trailed off as his thoughts turned to Amy and baby Melody. No matter how hard he tried, they both brought back strong feelings of guilt.

"Doctor?" asked Clara as he suddenly paused.

The Doctor shook his head slightly. "Sorry…" he apologised, "That brought back memories."

Clara was unsure whether to continue to ask as she could see that it was hurting him. However, it also looked like he needed to talk about whatever it was.

"What did?" she questioned.

The Doctor sighed. "My friend…She had a baby while she was travelling with me." he explained, "Her daughter… I felt so protective over her. Just holding her was one of the best things I ever got to do…"

Clara sighed. She could see the pain etched on his face. He had so many things in his past which he neglected to mention. However, by the way he looked; she could tell that he had hidden these things from her as they hurt him… a lot.

"Where is she?" Clara asked, "Your friend?"

The Doctor gulped and looked to the floor. "She's gone." he confessed, "And her husband… Rory the Roman… The Last Centurion…"

Clara felt her heart drop once again. He could tell by the look on his face that it wasn't just sadness which he was plagued with, it was something else too, guilt maybe?

"What was her name?" Clara questioned.

The Doctor composed himself and looked up at her.

"Amelia Pond." he answered.

His voice almost betrayed him but he managed not to let it.

Clara smiled weakly. "Amelia Pond." she repeated, "Its sounds like royalty."

The Doctor laughed slightly. "I once said it was like something from a fairytale." he said.

Clara nodded in agreement. "Yeah…" she agreed, "Amelia Pond... My friend was called Amelia. It's a great name, ain't it?"

The Doctor nodded and for the first time in a while, he smiled while he thought about her.

"Yeah." he confirmed, "It is a great name."

Clara smiled and looked up at him.

"When I was a kid, I used to say my first daughter's middle name was gonna be Amelia… to name her after my friend."

The Doctor laughed and sat down on the sofa next to her.

"What would her first name be?" he questioned.

"Um… There were a few names I liked to be honest." she admitted.

The Doctor was intrigued. He turned to face her and rested his head on his fist.

"Like what?" he asked.

Clara sighed. "Well, I always liked Belle, Megan," she replied, "Lauren and… Annika."

The Doctor's eyebrows raised and his smile appeared once again.

"Annika?" he asked, "That's… different."

Clara nodded. "Yeah, that's why I like it." she confirmed, "What about you? What names do you like?"

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "I haven't thought about that for years." he told her.

"But there must be some you like." she pointed out.

The Doctor sighed as he began to rack his brain. "I suppose… Alaya." he told her, "I've always like that name."

Clara smiled. "Alaya…" she repeated, "Where've I 'eard that before?"

The Doctor sighed. "The girl at Bramwell Mine." he replied.

"Oh…" remembered Clara, "She died, didn't she?"

The Doctor nodded. "Yeah." he stated.

Clara could see him slipping back into a small hint of depression so she decided to reinstate the previous conversation.

"Oi!" she cried, "You've only told me one name. Surely there's more than that!"

The Doctor rolled his eyes and laughed. "I don't know." he cried.

"Come on!" she ordered, "Think."

The Doctor leant back on the sofa. "I really don't know." he insisted, "I guess I like... Bronwin."

It was fair to say Clara was slightly shocked by the name, not because of the name itself, because of who it reminded her of.

"Seriously?" she questioned.

The Doctor nodded. "Yeah." he admitted, "I've always liked it… How did we get onto this conversation?"

Clara smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno." she confessed, "'ow do any conversations progress?"

The Doctor smiled and put his arms around her, exposing his shoulder and giving her the opportunity to lean on it.

"It's nice though, ain't it?" she asked.

"Hmm, what?" he asked.

"Just bein' able to talk." she replied.

The Doctor nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I suppose it is…" he admitted.

"But it's not really your cuppa tea, is it?" asked Clara, "You like to be busy."

"Yeah I like to busy." he confirmed, "But I'm liking this just as much at the moment."

Clara smiled. She was about to initiate another conversation when suddenly a noise began to sound in the room.

She lifted her head and frowned. "Is that a phone?" she asked.

The Doctor sprang to his feet and made his way over to the console. Clara swiftly got up herself and followed him with her eyes.

"Since when 'ave you 'ad a phone?" she queried.

The Doctor laughed slightly. "Well it is a Police Box, dear." he pointed out before pointing the phone she was stood adjacent too, "Answer it."

Clara frowned and looked down at the device. It was very similar to those found on Earth, probably exactly the same. She hesitated at first but the Doctor's smile encouraged her to do so.

"Hello?" she said down the phone.

The Doctor watched Clara's face as she listened to whoever was on the other end.

"He's here… I travel with him." she told the caller.

_"Who is it?"_ mouthed the Doctor.

"I'm sorry, who is this?" she questioned the caller.

Clara covered the mouthpiece when the caller had answered. "She says she's 'an old friend'."

"Which one?" he asked.

"Which one?" Clara repeated down the phone.

She looked back up at the Doctor. "The Great Detective…" she told him.

The Doctor's eyes lit up and he immediately took the phone off Clara.

"Vastra, is that you?" he asked the caller with a smile.

"_Of course it's me." _she confirmed, _"It's nice to hear you're travelling with a companion again… Did you ever find Miss Clara?"_

The Doctor smiled as he looked towards Clara. "Yeah, you could say that." he responded, "Now, is this just a check-up or is there something you want?"

"_Well the thing is Doctor, we have a bit of a problem." _she admitted, _"Do you think you could drop by?"_

The Doctor smiled and began to pilot the TARDIS while holding the phone between his ear and shoulder.

"How long's it been since I was last there?" he enquired.

"_Three months." _she replied, _"So, are you coming?"_

The Doctor smiled and looked over at Clara.

"Absolutely." he guaranteed, "We're on our way!"


	33. The Green Lady, Jenny & The Potato

Chapter 33: The Green Lady, Jenny & The Potato

The candle light flickered as the draught crept into the newly built Victorian building. The large room was dimly lit and although you'd expect the building to be cold, it was rather warm and pleasant.

In the drawing-room a woman was stood in the corner. She was holding a rather new piece of technology in her hand, commonly known as a telephone.

"Oh, I hate these things!" she stated.

Another young woman who was stood metres behind her smiled. Compared to technology they had had previous encounters with in their past, this 'telephone' was nothing.

"Well, It did Alexander well." she pointed out.

The first woman smiled before stepping into the light, clearly exposing her green scaled skin and ridges partly hidden by her hood. The second woman noticed her smile and approached her slightly.

"Is 'e comin'?" she asked, full of optimism, "The Doctor?"

The green lady smiled and nodded. "Yes Jenny, dear." she replied, "He's on his way."

Jenny breathed a sigh of relief and nodded slightly. All of a sudden, a massive weight felt as though it had been lifted of her shoulders.

"Wait a minute…" she said when her mind wandered back to the problem they were facing, "Did ya tell 'im to land inside? You know it's dangerous out there!"

The green lady's eyes widened. "No…" she remembered, "But the TARDIS is clever. She'll land inside to keep him safe."

"You sure about that, ma'am?" she questioned.

The green lady smiled. "Yes dear." she guaranteed.

Jenny nodded. If her wife believed everything would be okay, then she was sure it would be too.

The green lady, who resembled a large green humanoid lizard, looked over towards Jenny and saw her zone out.

"Is anything the matter, my dear?" she asked, slowly approaching her.

Jenny looked up. "No ma'am... it's just…" she hesitated, "Did 'e ever find 'er? Miss Clara?"

Her wife shrugged her shoulders and looked towards the telephone device sat in the corner of the room.

"I'm not sure." she admitted, "However he sounded rather happy when I mentioned her name."

Jenny smiled before her attention returned to the large window opposite to her.

It was pitch black outside. The smog was thick and dark, completely covering the top half of the window. The wind outside howled down the alleyways and torrential rain was beating at the windows, slowly eating away at the flimsy built building.

It had been raining non-stop for days. Usually that wouldn't have bothered anyone. It was London for goodness sake, rain wasn't uncommon there. However, this rain was different, this rain was deadly. No-one dared go out in it. All the streets of London were deserted thanks to it. Even the Great Detective herself wouldn't venture out into it… it wasn't worth the risk.

Suddenly, an enormous racket came from above them, almost as if a herd of elephants were running above the ceiling. The noise moved until whatever it was came boisterously down the staircase.

Jenny exited the drawing-room, soon followed by her wife. What greeted them was a small and bald alien dressed in a black tuxedo. The Doctor had once referred to him as potato which to be fair, he was… a giant great big baked potato which had a brain which had run away a long, long time ago.

If anybody else had seen him, the probably would have ran for the hills but they didn't. They were used to the sight of the creature that was stood half way up the stairs and looking down at them over the banister.

"Is he here? Is he here?" he questioned rather quickly.

The green lady raised her eyebrow, well at least the part of her face where it would have been if she were human, and looked around slowly.

"Do you see him anywhere?" she asked, much more cynically than she had intended.

Jenny nudged her with her elbow. "Cut 'im a bit a slack." she whispered, "Ya know 'e ain't all there…"

The potato creature frowned. "Are you talking about me behind my back?!" he questioned demandingly.

Jenny rolled her eyes. "Strax, we're in front of ya." she pointed out, "And ya can clearly 'ear us."

"Ah, right…" he attempted to understand, "So where is he, The Physician?"

Both the two woman frowned in perfect sync.

"Ya mean 'The Doctor'?" asked Jenny.

Strax frowned. "No!" he cried, "I've told you I don't need a Doctor! That burn's healing nicely now…"

"No, you mindless moron." interrupted the green lady, clearly annoyed at his lack of understanding, "The Doctor as in _The Doctor… _Not 'The Physician'."

Strax's confusion doubled. "Who's 'The Doctor'?" he enquired.

"The Physician." responded Jenny.

"Oh right…" he remembered, not fully understanding what they meant, "When's he getting here?"

The green lady rolled her eyes. "Oh, never mind." she muttered.

Jenny saw the annoyance plastered across her face. In attempt to keep the peace, she turned to Strax.

"Strax, go 'nd 'elp cook in the kitchen, will ya?" she hinted.

Strax nodded eagerly and ran down the stairs before heading to the kitchen. Both the woman watched him leave, both feeling sorry for him.

"It's 'ard to believe 'e used to be smart." stated Jenny.

The green lady nodded in agreement. "I know, my dear." she concurred, "Those were the days."

x-[]-x

The Doctor was happily navigating the TARDIS to wherever it was they were going. Clara, who had been looking over his shoulder, knew they were going to early March in 1893 and somewhere in London but that was it.

The Doctor looked over at her and smiled.

"Ready?" he questioned.

Clara nodded eagerly. She was very excited to be meeting friends of the Doctor. Out of all the things she had seen, this was definitely a first.

The Doctor swiftly hit a button and expected a smooth landing, however, that wasn't what they got. Instead, the console began to be lit up with sparks as conduits above them exploded and they were both flung around like rag dolls. It was almost as if the TARDIS had collided with something. Luckily, they both managed to hold onto parts of the console until it stabilised slightly.

"What the 'ell's goin' on?!" Clara cried.

The Doctor managed to clamber over to the screen and took a look at the results.

"Ooh… Looks like the TARDIS doesn't like whatever that was." he muttered.

"And what was it?" asked Clara.

"No idea." confessed the Doctor.

He then began to hit another sequence of button which made the shaking cease almost instantly. Clara slowly pushed herself up off the console and fixed her hair while the Doctor began to scan the exterior. The image on the screen which greeted him was of Vastra and Jenny, eagerly awaiting his arrival.

The Doctor smiled and made his way around to Clara.

"Can you give me two minutes?" he asked.

Clara frowned. "Why?" she questioned.

The Doctor sighed. "Last time I was here I was in a dark place." he admitted, "I just wanna clear up that up before I introduce you."

Clara smiled and nodded. "Alright." she agreed, "Two minutes?"

The Doctor nodded and kissed her forehead before dashing towards the door. As he reached the door, he turned to face her before opening it.

"Two minutes." he confirmed.

Clara smiled and rolled her eye. "Go before I change me mind." she told him.

He nodded before opening the door and stepping out into a large hallway. He was greeted with two large smiles beaming off his friends faces.

"Vastra, Jenny." he greeted.

"It's good to see you Doctor." stated Vastra.

The Doctor smiled and looked around.

"Where's the potato?" he asked.

Both Vastra and Jenny looked towards the door at the end of the hall which led to the kitchen.

"Strax!" called Jenny, "The Doctor's 'ere!"

They heard a large crash seconds later. Both the Doctor and Jenny recoiled at the sound, especially when they saw Vastra's expression.

"That better not be my blood bank…" she murmured.

Suddenly, Strax burst into the hall, the white parts of his suit freshly dyed with a deep red liquid. The Doctor gulped slightly and Jenny had to hold her increasingly annoyed wife in place.

"It's you, sir." he said in disbelief, "I thought The Physician was coming."

'_The Physician?'_ the Doctor mouthed.

Jenny sighed and rolled your eyes. "'The Doctor' Strax!" she cried.

"Oh, right…" he realised.

Vastra had to keep biting her tongue in order to stop herself from screaming. The smell of her precious 'refreshment' was seeping into his clothing and making it very hard for her to stop herself from craving it. It would have been like a human walking into a restaurant and being unable to eat anything.

Jenny noticed her struggling to contain her anger. "Strax," she began, "Go 'elp cook clean it up… and yourself while ya at it, eh?"

Strax nodded. "Understood." he reported before returning to the kitchen.

Jenny and Vastra turned to the Doctor who was struggling to contain his amusement.

"I swear he will be the death of me." said Vastra.

The Doctor laughed slightly. "He can't help it, poor sod."

"Hmm…" mumbled Vastra, "Anyway Doctor, are we gonna get to meet this new companion of yours?"

The Doctor nodded slightly. "Well the thing is… you know her already." he explained.

Jenny frowned. "Do we?" she questioned.

"Yeah." he replied, "But she doesn't know you."

"I don't understand." confessed Vastra.

The Doctor shuffled on his spot and smiled weakly. "Let me just put this way." he began, "She's not the same person as the one you know. Everything that happened at Christmas, she never experienced any of it."

"Doctor, what are you on about?" asked Vastra.

The Doctor leant on the side of the TARDIS and sighed. He then clicked his fingers to open the doors.

"Come on out, Clara." he called.

Moments later, a young brunette woman exited the box. She was dressed in black three-quarter trousers and a black and white miniature polka-dot top. Her smile was beaming as she closed the door and looked around at the Doctor.

Both Vastra and Jenny's jaws dropped when they saw her.

"That's impossible…" whispered Vastra.

She looked over at the Doctor who shook his head slightly. Vastra understood by this that the woman who looked exactly like Miss Clara who had died the year before did not know about that fact.

Clara's eyes locked onto Vastra's face. Her eyes widened slightly but soon figured out she was okay as she was friends with the Doctor. It was just bizarre to see an alien lizard woman dressed in Victorian clothing.

Clara stepped forward. "Hello." she greeted, "I'm Clara."

Vastra nodded. "Madame Vastra." she introduced, "And this is Jenny."

The dark-haired woman stood next to her smiled. "'ello." she greeted.

Clara nodded. "Hi." she said in reply.

"Jenny, why don't you show Miss Clara the house." Vastra suggested, "And ask cook to get out another barrel of blood. I have a feeling I'm gonna need it."

Jenny nodded with a smile. "'Course." she agreed, "Miss Clara?"

The Doctor nodded at Clara to confirm to her it was safe. Both Clara and Jenny began to head up the stairs, chatting away.

Vastra and the Doctor watched them disappear out of sight before Vastra turned to him.

"Doctor, who is she?" she questioned, "Is she the same as Miss Clara, the one who died?"

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "I told you there was something impossible going on." he reminded her, "I don't know who she is, but I do know she's amazing."

Vastra smiled. It was nice to see him happy again, especially after losing the Ponds and then Clara… the first time.

"You know, I think you're right Doctor." she stated.

The Doctor frowned. "In what way?" he asked.

"I think the universe does make bargains after all." she told him.

The Doctor smiled before turning to face her fully. "Yeah, I think you're right." he agreed, "Anyway, you mentioned a problem?"

Vastra sighed and nodded slightly. "London's being attacked." she informed him.

The Doctor frowned. "By what?" he queried.

Vastra looked towards the window in the drawing-room which could be seen from the hallway.

"Precipitation." she explained.


	34. The Impossible Truth about Darchester

Chapter 34: The Impossible Truth about Darchester

The Doctor's confusion doubled and it was shown to Vastra by the way his brow fell.

"Rain?" he questioned in disbelief, "How can rain be a problem?"

Vastra smiled weakly as the Doctor continued.

"It's London for goodness sake!" he pointed out, "Rain's not an uncommon occurrence."

Vastra nodded in agreement and directed her attention towards the window in the drawing-room.

"Take a look outside." she ordered, "Tell me what you see."

The Doctor swiftly dashed into the drawing-room and over to the window. As ordered, he peered outside and visually investigated the outside alleyway.

It was dark, that wasn't unusual, but the entire street was deprived of all types of life. There were no people, no domestic animals, not even weeds growing between the broken cobbles.

"It started about a month ago." explained Vastra, "At first it was non-stop but about a fortnight ago it changed. Now it comes like clockwork. Every evening at six o'clock it begins and ends at precisely four o'clock the next morning."

The Doctor frowned and turned to face her briefly.

"Precisely?" he enquired.

Vastra nodded. "On the dot." she confirmed, "By six o'clock in the morning when the city wakes, the entire city is bone dry, as if the rain had never happened. The only thing that shows that it has occurred is the damage it causes."

The Doctor's frown intensified. "Damage?" he asked, "What kind of damage?"

Vastra smiled weakly and sighed before approaching the window and peering outside.

"The rain is acidic." she explained, "It's slowly eating away at the city and… it's deadly. One drop on skin causes massive damage."

"In what way?" asked the Doctor.

"It literally burns and eats away at skin cells," she started, "In a matter of seconds."

The Doctor sighed and returned to look at the rain falling upon the city. To the naked eye, it looked completely normal.

"Ask Strax about it." said Vastra, "He found out about it first hand. The stupid idiot decided to open a window during a rainfall because he was _too hot. _The back of his hand paid the price."

The Doctor's eyes widened slightly. "Is he okay?" he asked.

Vastra nodded. "Yeah, he's fine." she verified, "It's healing nicely now… but he was lucky. I've seen people burn to death due to this weather. I suppose the only lucky thing about it is that it's quick."

The Doctor's attention returned to the storm outside and he whipped out his screwdriver in order to scan it.

"I don't understand…" he announced, "How can rain be _that _dangerous?"

"How can snow be dangerous?" Vastra questioned in response.

The Doctor laughed slightly.

"So in the space of three months, this city had been attacked by telepathic snow and now acidic rain?" he queried.

Vastra nodded. "It appears so." she stated.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "That's one hell of a weather forecast." he joked.

Vastra laughed slightly. "So is it alien?" she asked, "Is the city under attack?"

"I don't know…" admitted the Doctor.

Vastra's eyes widened slightly. "Oh, say that again." she begged, "That's ever so rare."

The Doctor shook his head. "Not these days." he told her.

Meanwhile, Clara and Jenny began to head down the stairs back towards the hallway where the TARDIS had originally landed.

"It's a big 'ouse." stated Clara, "Very beautiful though."

Jenny smiled. "Yeah." she agreed, "Madame Vastra likes it."

"Don't you?" she questioned.

"Oh, I love it." she confirmed, "It just all the plants in the back room by the kitchen. I like 'em and so does Madame Vastra, but Strax keeps thinkin' they're an invadin' force."

Clara frowned. "Strax?" she questioned.

Jenny laughed slightly when she realised Clara didn't know who Strax was.

"Oh... You'll meet 'im soon enough." she told her.

However, Clara had suddenly paused on the stairs as she could hear something, something calling her…

"…_Find it… Touch it… Find me… Remember me…"_

Jenny noticed her silence and quickly stopped. She turned around to see her standing against the banister looking completely lost, almost as if she were daydreaming.

"Clara?" she questioned.

Clara immediately snapped out of it and looked down at the young woman stood at the bottom of the staircase.

"Sorry." she apologised, "I must be a bit tired."

Jenny smiled weakly. "Come on."

Clara nodded and made her way down the rest of the stairs.

"Doctor?" she called.

"In here!" he shouted from the drawing-room.

Seconds later, both Clara and Jenny entered the room. Jenny made her way over to Vastra and they both began to talk quietly about how impossible it was for Clara to be there. Of course, they were quiet enough so she didn't overhear them.

Meanwhile, Clara made her way over to the Doctor.

"So what's 'appenin'?" she asked, "What's the deal with the rain?"

The Doctor shook his head before looking up at her.

"No idea." he answered, "But it's not nice. I can tell you that much."

Clara sighed and directed her attention to the downpour outside. She couldn't put into words exactly what looked wrong about it, she just knew it was.

x-[]-x

The night came and went. Exactly as Vastra had stated, the rain stopped at the exact moment Big Ben chimed at four o'clock that morning. By the time the hands had rotated twice and the clock face read six a.m, the city was bone dry. It was at that time that the Doctor dared to venture outside of the house.

He went outside just as the morning sun began to peek over the horizon of the never-ending city. People were starting to vacate the safety of their homes and the street gradually began to fill with people.

He went back inside just as he had promised after making sure that it was safe. Vastra had changed her clothing and was now wearing a long black dress and a matching veil. At that moment in time the veil wasn't covering her face but she was ready to pull it over at a moments notice. Jenny hadn't changed and she was eager to begin investigating. The same could also be said for Clara.

Her smile was beaming as the Doctor returned from his brief inspection.

"The coast's clear." he confirmed.

His attention then turned to Clara's clothing.

"You can't go out there dressed like that." he pointed out.

Clara frowned and looked down at her attire. "What's wrong with this?" she asked.

"It's the 19th Century." he replied, "Women don't wear trousers."

Clara sighed and looked up at him. "Well, I 'ate to state the obvious," she began, "But the last time I checked, I didn't own any _19th Century _garments."

"We've got some." intervened Jenny, "In the wardrobe upstairs. There's some corset dresses."

Clara raised her eyebrow slightly. "Corset dresses?" she questioned.

The Doctor smiled. "Go on." he told her, "We haven't got all day."

Clara rolled her eyes and looked up at the Doctor.

"I'm gonna kill ya for this." she informed him.

x-[]-x

The Doctor was growing rather bored of waiting yet he was also quite excited about seeing Clara dressed in clothing relevant to the time period. However, it was also bringing back some unpleasant memories about the time he had met her as the 'governess Clara'.

"Come on, Clara!" he shouted up the stairs.

"I look silly!" she objected.

"Oh, come on!" he repeated.

Moments later, Clara appeared at the top of the stairs. She was dressed in a blue velvet corset dress. It was almost identical to the red dress the governess Clara had been wearing when he had first met her, the only difference really was the colour. Instead of being crimson red, this one was a dark navy blue, even darker than the colour of the TARDIS.

"Wow…" he complimeted with a smile.

"I look ridiculous!" she cried as she slowly made her way down the staircase.

Jenny raised her eyebrows. "That's my dress." she pointed out.

"Yeah, but Victorian dresses suit ya." she said, "I was born in a time where trousers can be worn, hence that's what I'm used to, hence that suits me."

Jenny smiled. "You look fine." she guaranteed.

"Yes you do." seconded the Doctor who couldn't deny that it complimented her figure rather well.

Clara was about to say something when the door at the end of the hall burst open. A small alien approached them carring a rather large weapon.

"Sir, I am ready to engage in combat." he reported.

The Doctor, Vastra and Jenny all rolled their eyes while Clara's ingested the sight of the creature stood before her. She hadn't seen many aliens that didn't look similar to humans so it was definitely something new for her to experience. He was quite small, bald and dressed in a black suit and tie.

"We're investigating Strax." explained the Doctor, "Not combating anything. Besides, you can't go out there in daylight."

Strax was about to object but his eyes suddenly fell onto Clara.

"Who's he?" he asked.

Clara immediately frowned while the Doctor made his way over to Strax.

"No Strax!" he cried before turning to Clara, "Forgive him, he's a bit slow. As you can see he's _easily confused_!"

Strax nodded eagerly as he understood. "Sorry _girl._" he apologised before looking back at the Doctor, "Who's _she_?"

The Doctor sighed. "Strax, Clara. Clara, Strax." he introduced.

"She looks familiar." he said.

The Doctor suddenly kicked his foot to shut him up. Clara noticed but decided not to say anything. Instead she nodded at him before looking over at the Doctor.

"Can we go take a look outside?" she asked.

The Doctor smiled and nodded. "'Course." he agreed before linking arms with her and beginning to head out, "Vastra, Jenny, come on! Strax, stay here."

"Aye, sir." he agreed.

The three of them began to head out. Vastra pulled her veil down over her face before stepping out into the open.

The morning sun greeted them and the Doctor began to visually inspect the surrounding street. It looked completely normal apart from the fact that the buildings were clearly displaying some damage.

"So where are we?" questioned Clara, "I mean, what part of London are we in?"

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders as his attention was focused on the results he was getting with his screwdriver.

"Not a clue." he answered, "Why?"

Clara shrugged her shoulders. "Just wonderin'." she replied, "It actually looks a lot like 'ome. I mean, this looks like Fata Way."

The Doctor frowned. He recognised that name…

"Fata Way?" he questioned, "I've heard of that."

Clara smiled. "I should 'ope so." she cried, "It's where ya landed the TARDIS the day we first met."

The Doctor immediately looked around. "This is Darchester?" he questioned.

"I dunno." responded Clara, "It looks like it."

The Doctor inspected the street. It was true that it did look oddly familiar. Then again, he did find her in the graveyard the governess Clara was buried so it was safe to assume that they were in the place where Clara lived in the 21st Century. However that still worried him as that village didn't exist…

"This ain't Darchester." said Jenny, "There's no such place."

Both the Doctor and Clara looked around at her. The Doctor had assumed that to be true yet Clara was completely baffled.

"Yeah there is." she argued, "I was born 'ere… well, in 95 years."

Vastra, who had been listening from behind, was slightly shocked and her eyes widened slightly.

"You figured that out rather quickly." she stated.

Clara smiled. "I've always been good at Maths." she explained, "Is that a problem?"

"No." confirmed Vastra, "Just rather surprising."

Clara smiled weakly before looked back over at Jenny.

"So, if this ain't Darchester, where are we?" she enquired.

"Just outside of London." replied Jenny, "I don't actually know what it's called."

"So it could be Darchester?" asked Clara.

Jenny shook her head. "There's no place called 'Darchester', not anywhere." said Jenny, "There never 'as been."

"But there could be in the future." she pointed out.

"No." the Doctor said solemnly.

Clara immediately turned to face him, her frown intensely shown on her face.

"What d'ya mean 'no'?" she questioned.

The Doctor sighed. "Clara, I told you the day I met you… Darchester doesn't exist."

Clara sighed through her confusion. "So where did I grow up then?" she questioned, "Where've I lived since I was born?"

"I don't know." he confessed, "But Darchester isn't real… I'm sorry."

Clara shook her head in disbelief. "'ow can it not be real?" she questioned, her voice suddenly becoming rather quiet and falling to a whisper, "You saw it…"

The Doctor shook his head. "I'm sorry." he apologised.

Clara sighed and looked down towards the ground. No matter how much she wished, she knew he wasn't lying to her… he would never lie to her.

"Anyway," began the Doctor in attempt to change the conversation, "Let's get to work."


	35. The Clara Connection

Chapter 35: The Clara Connection

They'd been investigating wherever it was they were for a few hours now. The sun was slowly ascending into the sky and heating up the city below. While the Doctor, Vastra and Jenny were discussing their findings, or rather _lack _of findings, Clara decided to go for a wander.

She found walking down the street a delight. To smell the freshly baked bread in the local bakery took her breath away momentarily. That was certainly something she wouldn't see, or rather smell, back at home. She continued until she reached a familiar graveyard at the end of the road, only about ten metres away from where the Doctor, Vastra and Jenny were congregated.

That cemetery was a clear sign which confirmed to her that she was in fact in Darchester; well not exactly because according to the Doctor, 'Darchester' didn't exist. That knowledge was eating away at her. She trusted him more than she had ever trusted anyone so as he was adamant that the village didn't exist, it worried her… If it wasn't real, where had she lived for the past twenty-four years of her life?

That specific cemetery was one of her personal favourite shortcuts back home. Instead of taking her thirty minutes to walk into the city centre, cutting through that place halved the time it took her.

Her friend Amelia hated it. She always freaked out and called it 'creepy'. Apparently it was full of 'ghosts'. She actually found that quite laughable. Although the Doctor had shown her many things, that was one thing she was sure about: there were no such things as 'ghosts'.

She smiled as she visually inspected the graveyard. It was unusual to see large patches of earth where she was used to see graves. Back home in the 21st Century, all the graves were full and the headstones were eroding. However, the cemetery which stood before her was the complete opposite. Half of the graves were empty or non-existent and the majority, not all, but the majority of the headstones were new.

Despite that, the other main difference was the lack of shrubbery in the area. Usually all the graves were covered by masses of weeds and different types of shrubs. However, there was nothing. Even the leaves on the trees were non-existent. Then again, the same could be said about every tree in sight, only the bare trunk remained. That was probably due to the rain…

'_Clara…"_

She jumped and her head snapped around, bringing her thoughts back to reality. There was nobody in close proximity to her yet it sounded as if a voice had called her from over her shoulder. It didn't take her long to realise it was the same voice she had heard when she was the house earlier that day.

"Who's there?" she questioned.

There was no physical response yet she had the strongest feeling something was watching her. It was slightly unnerving and she considered returning to the Doctor but she physically couldn't. There was something, she didn't know what, but there was some sort of _force _calling to her, compelling her to find it.

The world around her began to faze, making her feel as if she were disconnected to it. The light seemed to intensify in brightness and it seemed to create a pocket around her, closing her off from everything else. She found it quite disturbing as it felt as though she was being confined into a small space. It was strange… she had never felt claustrophobic before.

Her surroundings began to ripple, making her feel very unbalanced. She felt like she was about to collapse but somehow her feet managed to stay balanced.

"_Clara…" _the voice called once again, _"Find me… Remember me…"_

The voice itself was familiar, sweet and gentle. However, due to the lack of feeling in her head, she couldn't work out whose voice it was…

Through her drowsiness, she felt herself being drawn to the cemetery. Although she didn't feel like she could move, somehow her feet managed to lead the way and carry her towards it. Why she was drawn there, she didn't know.

Meanwhile, the Doctor who was still deep in conversation with Vastra and Jenny had failed to notice Clara's absence. However, as Jenny wasn't particularly involved in that certain fragment of the conversation, she began to look around and soon noticed Clara wandering into the cemetery.

"What's she doin'?" she queried, resulting in the Doctor and Vastra turning their heads to look at Clara.

The Doctor frowned. There was something, he wasn't sure what, but there was something very wrong with Clara. He wasn't the only one to notice it either, Vastra had too. However, she too couldn't put into to words what felt so wrong about her.

The Doctor turned to face Vastra. Although her face was covered by the veil, he knew their eyes had locked temporarily. He then turned back to look at Clara. It was safe to say that he was growing evermore concerned.

He shook his head. "Something's wrong…" he whispered before breaking into a sprint.

It took him mere seconds to reach the brink of the cemetery.

"Clara?" he called, hoping to capture her attention.

She stopped and he ran towards her. He could easily see something was wrong as her eyes looked heavy, almost as if she were about to fall asleep. On top of that, she was swaying and her eyes kept rolling which suggested she was dizzy.

He stopped when he was about three metres away from her and approached slowly, careful not to startle her as she looked like she were about to pass out.

"Clara…?" he begun slowly, "What's wrong?"

She shook her head slightly and sighed.

"Can't ya 'ear it?" she questioned with a weak smile.

The Doctor's body tensed slightly. There was nothing noticeable she could have been referring to which meant it was probably something in her head. That scared him as he knew from many experiences that hearing voices was **never **a good sign.

"Hear what?" he questioned, closing the space between them.

Clara laughed weakly and turned slightly while running her hand through her hair. He watched intensely and noticed that seconds later she scrunched her face up. This doubled the Doctor's concern as that was a clear sign of pain. Whatever was calling her, it was hurting her… hurting the woman he loved.

His eyes widened slightly as he mind went over that last statement. 'The woman he loved', that was a big thing to admit, even if it was just to himself. However, his more immediate attention was directed at Clara while she was in the state that she was.

"Clara, just come back to the house with me…" he started.

"No!" she cried, "It's close."

Her feet continued to carry her through the cemetery when suddenly an overwhelming feeling swept through her body. She collapsed down onto her knees and gasped. The Doctor immediately crouched down behind her and placed his hand on her back. He had absolutely no idea what to do…

"Clara?" he questioned.

He looked at a headstone which she was knelt next to. His eyes widened slightly when he saw who it belonged. A frown soon followed when he considered the likelihood that Clara's sudden delusion and this grave were connected. The reason he considered that was because that grave belonged to the other Clara, the governess.

Clara lifted her head and began to look at the headstone. The Doctor watched intensely. At first, it seemed as if she couldn't actually read or understand the words. After a moment and several blinks on Clara's behalf, she seemed to notice what the words said.

She shook her head in disbelief. "That's impossible…" she whispered.

The Doctor watched as she slowly began to reach out for the stone. Her eyes were still heavy and she seemed to hesitate. There was definitely part of her which was afraid.

"How… How is my name 'ere?" she questioned.

The Doctor bit his lip and just rubbed her back. He seriously had no idea what to tell her.

Clara waited for a response but her eyes never left the headstone. This is what the voice wanted her to find, she was sure of it. After another moment of just looking at the stone, she finally extended her hand all the way and touched it.

She gasped as a series of disjointed images began to flood her mind…

_Her head whipped around as a man dressed in dark purple grabbed her by the wrist. They were about to run when a large white figure appeared before them, then a second, then a third._

"_Clara!" the man cried, "Stop thinking about the snowmen!"_

The Doctor saw her hand grip the stone so hard that her knuckles began to turn white.

_She was stood above the main street, on what, she didn't know. She was waving down at passer-by's but they were completely oblivious to her. She found that rather amusing. "Invisible…" she thought aloud. It must have been…_

_Two young children stood before her, one girl and one boy. The younger one, the boy, looked up at her, his eyes filled with hope. "Do your secret voice!" he begged._

She gasped as one particular image flashed in her head.

"_Did you make this snowman?" she questioned._

"_No." replied a voice, an all to familiar voice._

It was him, the Doctor... How was he connected to this?

_His hands clasped around her face._

"_Clara, listen to me." he begged, "The snow's feeding off your thoughts!"_

She could see him clearly now, and now that she could, the images were starting to become much clearer…

"_Who the devil are you?!" a man at the bottom of a staircase questioned, "What are you doing in my house?!"_

"_It's okay." confirmed the Doctor who was stood at her side, "I am your governess' gentleman friend and we've just been upstairs… kissing!"_

Clara couldn't understand the images but for some reason she had a strong feeling that the woman who she was stood in place of was somehow her… Was that even possible?

"_Clara!" he cried._

_It was dark and cold. She was being dragged out of a blue box, a box she now recognised as the TARDIS. She was being dragged away from him, away from the Doctor. What was dragging her, she couldn't see but suddenly she felt the ground beneath her give way… __She was falling, so far, so fast… faster and faster, deeper and deeper into the darkness. She could hear something behind her, underneath her, falling along with her. It was shouting, or screaming, or none of the above…_

Clara gasped and immediately pulled her hand away from the stone as the film in her head finished. That last image in particular had caught her attention. It was exactly what she had dreamed some nights… It was part of her nightmares!

Part of her wanted to believe that it was some sort form of her dreams but it had been too clear, too detailed to be a dream. It was more like a flashback, a flashback of memories… If that was true, how was she connected?

The previous drowsiness and dizziness had suddenly faded so now all that was left was a lot of unanswered questioned.

She gulped and gave herself a moment to digest the images before looking up at the Doctor who was still crouched down beside her. Her eyes locked with his and that resulted in her lip beginning to quiver.

"Hey…" he soothed before pulling her head into his chest.

Whatever she had just seen, it had clearly shaken her up. He knew this as she was physically shaking in his arms. It was understandable if she had just seen what he believed she had.

"Doctor?" a voice from behind him asked.

He turned his head to see a rather concerned looking Vastra and Jenny looking down at them. Still comforting Clara, he smiled weakly up at them and pointed out the headstone.

Jenny's eyes widened. "Oh God…" she whispered.

"My sentiments exactly." agreed Vastra.


	36. Clarification for Clara

Chapter 36: Clarification for Clara

Clara was still knelt down by the grave of one Miss Clara Oswin Oswald. Although the Doctor was still with her, she had never felt so alone. The amount of images she was trying to work out was enough to give anyone a headache.

She knew the Doctor was struggling to find the words to say. This showed her that he knew more than he was telling.

"Who…" she began, "Who was she?"

The Doctor sighed. "Why do you think I know who she was?" he questioned, "It's just a coincidence."

"Oh come on Doctor!" she cried, "Clara isn't a common name, neither the surname Oswald and above all, have you ever met anyone else with the name 'Oswin'?"

The Doctor shook his head slowly. "No…" he admitted.

Clara sighed and turned to face him. "So who was she?" she questioned, "I know ya knew 'er. Those 'images' I just saw where 'er memories, and you were a big part of them."

The Doctor, who was still crouched near to her, knelt down in order to take the weight off his ankles. He then proceeded to sit down on the ground and cross his legs. Clara watched as he began to fiddle with his fingers while he debated what to say to her.

Vastra and Jenny had not long ago left the two of them alone so there was nothing to be heard apart from the Doctor as he attempted to speak. However, he just couldn't find the words.

"Was she me?" asked Clara after a moment.

He looked over at her and shook his head. "No." he replied, "But yes."

Clara frowned. "I don't understand." she confessed.

The Doctor sighed. "She was a woman who was the spitting image of you." he explained, "Her name was Clara Oswald, she worked as a barmaid at The Rose and Crown _and_ as a governess for Francesca and Digby Latimer under the name 'Miss Montague'."

Clara cocked her head to the side slightly as her thoughts ran back through the images which she had just seen when she touched the headstone.

"The two children…" she whispered before looked back at the Doctor, "I saw them."

The Doctor nodded. "They were there." he confirmed, "They worshiped her, especially Digby."

Clara sighed. "Am I the same person as 'er?" she questioned.

The Doctor shook his head. "No." he confirmed, "There are similarities between the two of you, but you're not the same person. You were born in 1988, she was born in 1866."

Clara shook her head slightly. "What similarities were there?" she asked.

"Um… she was intelligent, much more advanced for her time, just like you." he responded.

Clara nodded and looked away. It was too much to take in...

She bit her lip and sighed when she realised something. "That's 'ow ya knew me, ain't it? That's 'ow ya knew my name before I met ya." she stated, "It's because ya knew 'er."

The Doctor nodded before looking up at her. "Yeah." he verified.

The Doctor watched as she looked away and futilely tried to hide the fact her eyes were watering.

"That's why Vastra and Jenny were so shocked to see me…" she pointed out, "Why Strax said I looked familiar… They knew 'er, you all knew 'er."

The Doctor watched and she rubbed her forehead. He desperately wanted to comfort her but he was afraid to approach just in case she pushed him away.

"It all makes sense now." she continued before looking down at the headstone.

She read through the writing on it and gulped when she saw the date of death: 24th December 1892.

"If she hadn't died, you wouldn't 'ave come lookin' for me, would ya?" she questioned after a moment, "She'd be travellin' with you instead, not me."

"Clara, please don't make something out of nothing." he begged, "I'll admit I was upset when she died, but I'm glad that she led me to you."

Clara sighed and looked down, letting a couple of tears escape her eyes. She wasn't exactly sure why she was crying. It definitely wasn't because she was angry or upset; she was just seriously confused, and terrified. Somehow, she wasn't alone in the universe and that knowledge scared the hell out of her.

"How did she die?" Clara questioned.

The Doctor gulped and bit his lip. "She… fell," he answered, "A long, long way."

Clara raced back through the memories of the other Clara.

"Did something pull her… or something like that?" she asked.

The Doctor turned to her. "What have you seen?" he questioned in response.

"I… _she_ was being pulled away from the TARDIS. It was dark and she fell… really fast." she recalled, "It was like what 'appened to me in my nightmare… I was falling, away from you."

The Doctor nodded and looked down at the ground.

"Yeah." he confirmed quietly, "That was her."

It hurt him to think about her death. He still blamed himself for it.

While he tried to block out the memories, Clara shuffled closer to him.

"Doctor?" she asked.

He jumped slightly as her voice brought him back to reality.

"What?" he enquired with a weak smile.

"Is that what Winters meant when she said I was 'the woman twice dead'?" she questioned.

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "I suppose so." he agreed.

"So, when was the other time?" she asked, her soft voice stabbing him like a knife.

He shook his head. "I don't know." he fibbed.

"You're lyin' to me." stated Clara, "Please don't do that."

The Doctor let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding.

"I met another woman like you." he disclosed to her, "She was intelligent, way beyond her time, flirtatious, cheeky…"

The Doctor saw her smile slightly which he soon duplicated. "Sound familiar?" he questioned.

Clara nodded and looked up at him.

"Her name was Oswin." he continued, "She was a Junior Entertainment Manager for a Starship."

Clara sighed. "And she died?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yeah." he admitted.

Clara rubbed her head as she took in yet another piece of the puzzle. This was seriously getting too much...

"Did she look like me?" Clara asked.

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, I never saw her face." he confessed, "However, she did have the same voice…"

Clara gulped and ran her hand through her hair. "So, what are they?" she asked, "What am I?"

"I don't know." he replied, "I know you're all human and I know that all three of you are different versions of the same woman."

Clara shook her head in disbelief. "How is that possible?" she enquired.

The Doctor shook his head. "It's not." he said.

Clara's jaw dropped slightly and she gasped at that statement. She proceeded to rub her eyes and temples as the information literally began to hurt her head.

"So what the 'ell am I?" she cried, "Am I real?!"

The Doctor frowned and nodded adamantly. "Of course you're real." he responded.

Clara laughed slightly. "Am I?" she questioned, "Because up until I met you, my village was too."

"Clara…" he whispered before interlocking his fingers with his hand, "I promise you, you're real."

Clara smiled softly as he kissed the back of her hand. It wasn't hard to say that she was completely baffled with what the Doctor had just revealed to her. She was just glad that she had him. She honestly didn't know what she'd do if he wasn't there.

If she was honest, she was slightly annoyed that he had hidden this from her but when she thought about it rationally, he had only done that to keep her protected. How do you explain to someone that there are different versions of them scattered throughout time and space?

Thanks to all this new information, there was one thing she now definitely wanted to do and that was to find out why. Why was she like this? Why was she not alone in the universe?

"Doctor?" she asked after a few minutes of silence.

She was now leaning on his shoulder so he kissed the top of her head before responding.

"Yes?" he enquired.

"Is what's happenin' to me the same as what's happenin' to Bronwin and Nathalie and Raine and the others?" she asked.

The Doctor sighed. "I don't know." admitted the Doctor, "I don't know what's happening to you or them."

Clara sighed. "I'm scared…" she confessed.

The Doctor looked down at her. "Why?" he questioned.

Clara bit her lip. "Whatever the reason is that I'm scattered throughout the universe, there must be something powerful controlling it, right?"

The Doctor nodded. "I suppose." he agreed.

"So, what else might it do to me?" she asked, "I mean, why is this happenin'? What am I?"

The Doctor was about to say something when he suddenly felt an almighty burn appear on the back of his hand.

"Ow!" he cried as he pulled away from Clara to examine the cause.

Clara immediately became alert and saw the Doctor rub the back of his hand on his sleeve. Whatever he rubbed off began to make it jacket singe but she figured that rather his jacket than his hand.

"What was that?" she questioned after seeing a large red mark appear on the back of his hand.

The Doctor immediately looked up at the sky which was hastily being covered by dark storm clouds. His eyes widened and he quickly glanced down at his watch.

"Doctor?" asked Clara.

He looked up at her and gulped.

"Come on, we've gotta get back to the house!" he cried.

He grabbed her wrist with his other hand and they began to run.

"Why?" questioned Clara, "What's happenin'?"

"The rain." he replied, "Vastra said it comes like clockwork, six o'clock every night."

Clara nodded. "And what time is it now?" she asked as they ran up the already deserted street.

"5:59." he answered.


	37. Deadly Drizzle

Chapter 37: Deadly Drizzle

They burst through the door of Vastra and Jenny's house seconds before the clouds hung above the city burst and the rain began its attack. Strax immediately shut the door behind them while Vastra and Jenny watched them enter the hall.

The Doctor fell against the wall and caught his breath back.

"I'm really not as young as I used to be." he stated through his pants.

Vastra smiled slightly. "We didn't think you were coming back." she admitted.

The Doctor sighed and pushed himself to his feet. "I didn't realise what the time was." he confessed.

Clara, who had also regained her breath back at that point, was now looking out the window. She was amazed at how quickly the weather had changed. Although that day had been gloriously hot and sunny, now it was the complete opposite. The rain was now beating down on the city and flooding the streets. Also, the clouds had made it so dark outside that it looked like it was the middle of the night.

Vastra and Jenny peered over at her before walking over to the Doctor. Without taking her eyes off her, Vastra began to speak to the Doctor.

"Is she okay now?" she questioned in a whisper.

The Doctor sighed. "I'm not sure." he admitted quietly, "I really want to take her away from here but I can't yet."

Vastra smiled weakly at him. He returned the favour with a soft smile before excusing himself and approaching Clara. She was completely oblivious to him and he noticed that she wasn't actually looking outside. She was in a complete daze. She looked a million miles away, not surprising after the day she had had.

"Clara?" he asked softly.

Her head snapped towards him as her thoughts were interrupted.

"Oh, hi." she greeted with a weak smile.

"You okay?" he questioned.

She nodded rapidly. "I'm fine." she replied, "How's your 'and?"

The Doctor raised it and quickly inspected the burn. It was slowly fading but there was a definite mark there.

"It'll be fine." he confirmed.

Moments later, a bell sounded throughout the house. Strax smiled like a child and eagerly ran down the hall towards the kitchen.

The Doctor laughed slightly, mostly at Vastra's expression of absolute dismay. It wasn't that she didn't like him; he just gave her a headache with the way he acted. It was almost as if there was a child in the house.

'_You coming?" _she mouthed.

The Doctor nodded in response before herself and Jenny made their way to the kitchen. He then turned back to Clara and looked down at her.

"Join me for dinner?" he questioned.

Clara smiled softly and nodded. "Yeah." she responded quietly.

x-[]-x

Clara had to admit that Vastra, Jenny and Strax were good company, much better than she expected. Although she had been sceptical of Vastra at first, she had actually grown to like her. She could see herself becoming good friends with them all in the future. Yes, she found Strax slightly annoying as he was so dumb but to be honest, that just made her like him more. The fact that he was like that presented him with a type of innocence usually only found within children.

"So, where you from?" Clara asked Vastra during conversation.

Vastra smiled. "Would you believe me if I told you I'm from Earth?" she asked.

Clara frowned. "Okay, but where's your home planet?" she asked, "Where do your species live?"

"Earth." replied Vastra.

Clara laughed slightly. "Seriously?" she questioned, looking between Vastra and the Doctor who was smiling over his glass.

"Yes." responded Vastra, "I'm a Silurian. My species evolved in the Silurian era and retreated to live under the Earth's surface. Some were put into stasis on a vessel… hopefully they found a new world."

The Doctor smiled weakly to himself. The dinosaurs on that vessel had made it to a new world but the people hadn't…

"So, where are your people now?" question Clara, deeply intrigued by the concept of Vastra coming from ancient Earth creatures.

Vastra shrugged her shoulders. "I expect they're still in stasis under the Earth." she explained.

Clara's jaw dropped slightly. "What? Right now?" she asked.

Vastra nodded. "Yes." she confirmed with a smile.

"Wow!" Clara exclaimed.

The Doctor smiled as Clara continued to talk to Vastra and Jenny. He could see that she was putting on a brave face. Although she seemed okay he could tell that all the information about her, the other Clara and Oswin was weighing heavily on her mind.

Suddenly, the conversation was disrupted as a piercing scream echoed through the room. The lot of them suddenly became alert, quickly leaving their seats and heading in the direction of the scream.

The group of them all crossed the kitchen towards the pantry. The Doctor who was leading them soon opened the door. He quickly jumped away and ushered the others away as the room before them was flooding with rain water.

"Oh God, it's got inside…" whispered Jenny.

The Doctor's eye's widened in horror when he saw the cook was being drenched with it. She was screaming as the acid ate away at her skin and it hurt him as there was nothing he could do for her.

The five of them watched as the cook's body was destroyed. They lot of them were horrified. However it also had caught the Doctor's attention as the way she was killed looked familiar.

His thoughts were soon interrupted as the water began to ripple, almost as if it was alive. It then seemed to pounce towards the door.

"Get back!" ordered the Doctor.

He held his screwdriver up at it and it seemed to apprehend the water's ability to reach them.

Strax approached the door in attempt to close it.

"Strax, no!" cried Jenny.

They were all slightly amazed that as when he reached to pull the door closed, the choppy water which hit his skin didn't burn him. Moments later, the door was closed and Strax turned to face them. The Doctor's frown was priceless.

"Strax?!" he asked in astonishment.

Strax smiled and deactivated a skin-tight force field that was around his body. He took a device off his wrist which was concealed by his sleeve and threw it at the Doctor.

"E-field generator." he explained as the Doctor caught the device, "Easily stopped laser blasts so acid rain is no problem."

The Doctor smiled and looked over at the proud little alien stood opposite him. He ran over and gave him the thumbs up.

"Ooh, you've still got it Straxy!" he cried in delight before scanning the water behind the pantry door with his screwdriver.

Vastra smiled weakly at Strax as he joined her and Jenny. She loved the moments when he seemed to regain his previous level of intelligence. Before the Demon's Run episode, she had admired his ability to form battle strategies. However, it was clear that that part of him had died along with him when he died during that battle. It was rare to see that part of him surfaced anymore.

Meanwhile, Clara was looking out of the window to see what was happening in the rest of the street. She gulped when she saw it wasn't just Vastra's house which was being flooded by the rainwater.

"Doctor!" she exclaimed.

He could easily hear the concern in her voice so he dashed over. Vastra, Jenny and Strax also followed.

"It's everywhere..." whispered Clara.

The Doctor gulped before turning to Vastra and Jenny.

"I assume this has never happened before?" he queried.

Vastra shook her head. "Never." she confirmed.

"It's always been outside." explained Jenny, "It's never gone into 'ouses before."

The Doctor sighed. "So what's changed?" he asked.

Clara bit her lip. "We're 'ere." she replied.

The Doctor frowned as Clara turned to face him. "Think about it." she continued, "It's done this for the first time while we're 'ere, and the way it killed the cook… it looked familiar."

The Doctor sighed. "You noticed that too?" he questioned.

Clara nodded.

"Do you know why?" he asked as he was seriously stumped.

Clara shook her head slightly. "The only thing it reminded me of was the way that weapon used by the Harpa-Kazran Alliance killed that officer at that hospital." she recalled.

The Doctor's eyes widened and he turned back to look at the rain.

"A weapon…" he whispered, "Oh, of course!"

Following those words, the Doctor dashed out of the room and headed towards the TARDIS.

"Doctor!" cried Clara who followed in his wake.

She was followed by the others and seconds later, they all found themselves in the control room of the TARDIS.

"What are ya doin'?" Clara questioned.

The Doctor was hitting many buttons while his eyes were glued to the screen.

"That rain," he began, "It's a weapon."

Vastra tilted her head slightly. "So the city's under attack?" she asked.

The Doctor shook his head. "It's not after the city…" he trailed off and his eyes momentarily locked with Clara's.

Her shoulders dropped and she shook her head her head in disbelief.

"Me?" she asked weakly, fighting back her tears, "Is it after me?"

The Doctor gulped and turned back to the screen. Clara realised by that gesture that it probably was as he was avoiding the question.

"You?" enquired Vastra as she stared across at Clara.

"'ow's it after you?" intervened Jenny.

It took Clara a few seconds to compose herself before she turned to the Doctor.

"Doctor… please explain because I don't understand." she admitted.

The Doctor sighed. "It's allure rain." he explained.

"And what's that?" Clara asked.

He sighed once again. "It's a lure." he answered.

Vastra frowned. "What?!" she cried.

"The 'attack' on the city was created to lure Clara and myself here." he told them, "And as soon as we arrived, it detected our presence and stepped up its attack…"

Clara rubbed her forehead as guilt began to flood her veins and pound in her head. It was after her… All those people who had died, they were killed because something was after her…

"…It's coming from a probe in orbit." continued the Doctor, "I detected it earlier this morning but it disappeared so I assumed it was just a sensor echo."

"So, the rain we've experienced for the last couple of months was designed to… lure you here?" asked Vastra.

The Doctor nodded. "And then as soon as it detected us…" he began.

"It tried to kill me…" finished Clara, "Why?"

The Doctor shook his head. "I don't know." he confessed.

"This probe," interrupted Vastra, "Can you destroy it?"

The Doctor smiled weakly. "I already have." he replied.

x-[]-x

The Doctor was saying his final goodbyes to Vastra, Jenny and Strax. London was now safe and rain free so it was safe to say they were happy.

"Thank you Doctor." expressed Vastra.

He nodded slightly before acknowledging Jenny and Strax.

"Will Clara be okay?" questioned Jenny.

The Doctor turned to face the TARDIS which was still stood at the end of the hallway. Clara was in there alone at that moment as she was mentally struggling to cope with everything she had learnt over the past few days. Not only had she discovered that her village didn't exist or that two versions of her had met the Doctor and died, something had also tried to kill her using rain. Out of all the things he had seen in his lifetime that was definitely a first.

"I'm not sure." he confessed once he'd turned back to face them, "She's had one hell of a shock to her system."

Vastra nodded slightly in agreement. "You look after her." she instructed.

The Doctor nodded. "I will." he agreed, "I'll see you around."

They all exchanged final smiles before the Doctor departed their company and returned to the control room. It was eerily quiet which to be honest, he had expected.

He piloted the TARDIS back into the Vortex and left it adrift there before walking the small distance to Clara's room. He knocked softly a couple of times when he reached her door. However, as expected, he got no response. After a moment, he slowly opened the door and peered inside to see her knelt against her bed bawling her eyes out.

"Oh Clara…" he whispered as he made his way over to her.

He knelt down next to her and enveloped her into his arms. This exposed his chest to her which she began to sob into.

It broke his hearts to see her in that state. She was such a strong woman yet she had been reduced to a wreck. Sometimes he had to remind himself that she was only human.

"Shh…" he hushed as he began to rock her slightly.

He kissed her head a couple of times and continued to comfort her in the best way that he could.

"It's gonna be okay…" he told her, "I promise…"


	38. An Unfair Street Fight

Chapter 38: An Unfair Street Fight

Although the Doctor did his best to cheer Clara up following their visit to London, no matter what he did, she was mentally struggling to cope with everything she had learnt. It was safe to say that her life had certainly spun out of control... Every time they were together in the control room, the Doctor could see the pain eating away at her. He had to give her credit where credit was due as she did do her best to hide what she was feeling. However, every now and then he caught a glimpse of her when her thoughts wandered back to it all.

That particular day as the Doctor was piloting the TARDIS and trying to find a suitable destination in the hope to take Clara's mind off recent events, he glanced over at her. She was leaning on the other side of the console, her thoughts a million miles away.

He sighed to himself before walking around to her, completely unnoticed. He was genuinely struggling to find the words to say to her. She meant so much to him so seeing her so out of character actually tore at his hearts.

"Hey…" he whispered as he wrapped his arms around her from behind.

She sighed and relaxed into his arms as her thoughts subsided. She smiled weakly and turned to look at him over her shoulder.

"Hey…" she responded.

They stood there for a few moments, just enjoying each others embrace. The Doctor wanted to speak; he just didn't know what to say when talking to her. The obvious question would be 'are you okay?' yet that would be daft to ask. Of course she wasn't okay but what else can you say in that circumstance?

"Do you want to go somewhere?" he asked softly.

Clara sighed and nodded slightly. "Yeah." she replied, "Somewhere good though."

The Doctor smiled weakly and kissed her hair before pulling away. He then returned to the control panel and began hitting random levers.

"So what ya got in mind?" questioned Clara.

"I was thinking the Smiling Nebula Café." he told her.

Clara smiled genuinely for the first time in days.

"Let me guess," she began, "It's just a little café on a planet, no link to any kind of nebula and above all, nobody smiles?"

The Doctor laughed and rolled his eyes. It was nice to see the old Clara returning slowly.

"It's a café on a little asteroid orbiting the Smiling Nebula." he explained, "Well, when I say _little… _It's inside a market complex."

Clara raised her eyebrow slightly. "Is that like a shoppin' centre of some sort?" she asked.

The Doctor nodded. "Do you wanna check it out?" he questioned.

Clara shrugged her shoulders. "Depends." she stated, "Can we go shoppin' after?"

The Doctor frowned slightly but attempted to hide it with a nod.

"If you want." he agreed.

Clara smiled. He was just like any other typical man, he hated shopping. However, she found it quite sweet that he was willing to agree to do it just to make her happy.

The first few seconds in the Time Vortex were smooth flying which a rare but nice change. However, it didn't last long.

"Whoa!" cried Clara as the forces sent her into the rail behind her.

The TARDIS shuddered a couple of times before it stopped suddenly. The Doctor quickly pushed himself up off the console and looked over at his less than happy companion.

"You alright?" he asked.

She scowled slightly. "Why am I stuck with the one spaceship in the entire universe which has more tantrums than a toddler?" she questioned.

The Doctor smirked slightly before returning his attention to the scanner. He had to be honest; he was pretty fed up with the amount of times the TARDIS had been pulled off course lately. The sooner he found why, the better.

"So where are we?" questioned Clara as she made her way over to him.

"Um… Earth," he replied, "In the year 100,021."

Clara's eyebrows raised in amazement. She had never even thought about that far into the future. To be honest, she was slightly surprised the Earth still existed. Back home, everybody was worried about global warming and natural disasters yet it was still there in the year 100,021.

"So much for the 'Smiling Nebula Café'." she stated with her usual hint of cheekiness, "Seriously Doctor, if you didn't want to take me shoppin', why didn't ya just say so?"

The Doctor smiled at her happiness. It was nice to see her like that once again. He extended his hand which she gratefully accepted before running down to the door and exiting the box.

Clara's jaw dropped when she saw what was waiting for them outside. The entire area was filled with crowds and crowds of people, some human and some alien. They were in some sort of street market and people zoomed passed them at phenomenal speeds. The noise was overpowering almost as bad as the chorus of sobs back at Bramwell Mine.

A shell-shocked Clara turned to the Doctor whose frown was engraved into his face.

"This is Earth?!" she cried.

The Doctor gulped slightly and nodded, not taking his eyes off the people around them.

"Apparently so." he replied.

The entire street looked wrong. The buildings were all crammed next to each other, a clear safety hazard. God help them if there was a fire. Then there were the people, there were so many of them that even he himself found it rather uncomfortable.

At the end of the street was a large, white square block, almost like a stage. The two sides on the left and right from where the Doctor and Clara were had two doors which were linked to some sort of pod. The Doctor expected that's how people probably entered the area. The other two sides were walled off by clear fences making the area look vaguely similar to a 21st Century boxing ring. The reason his eye was drawn to it was because the majority of the people were trying to crowd around it.

"What is that?" questioned Clara, referring to the area.

"I don't know." confessed the Doctor, "Maybe some sort of… entertainment arena, I'm not sure."

Suddenly, a loud bell rang throughout the street, starting at the strange arena. In a matter of seconds the commotion hushed and complete silence descended on the street. The Doctor was rather confused. He had been to Earth countless times but not once had he ever heard of anything like this. Then again, he rarely came to this time period.

A buzzer sounded and they both watched as one of the doors opened and revealed a rather large alien. He looked about 6 foot 2 and looked so strong that he could probably snap a human in half as easily as a twig.

"Was is that?" asked Clara in a whisper.

"A Niktorian." the Doctor replied, "One of the strongest humanoid aliens in this galactic sector…"

The alien who was dressed in some sort of metallic coloured suit began to walk around the arena, posing in order to hype up the crowd.

Moments later, another buzzer sounded and from the opposite door came a young human. She was probably only 19 or 20 and very small, clearly no match for the Niktorian. She was small, thin and above all nervous as she entered the arena. The crowd cheered with delight as she appeared, apparently all thinking the same thing: She was going to lose... whatever the game was.

The Doctor and Clara's eyes never left the two competitors as the third buzzer sounded, the start buzzer. The large one seemed to smirk and the two of them began to speak. There was no doubt in the Doctor's mind that the young girl wasn't going to get seriously hurt.

"This is so unfair…" whispered Clara, "She's got no chance!"

The Doctor nodded in agreement. He seriously couldn't believe what he was seeing!

After a moment, the fight got into full swing. By this point, the clear barriers were glowing a canary yellow, symbolising the type of fight it was. The crowd were cheering as the Niktorian hit the young woman in specific areas on her body.

The areas were marked out by little pads. There was one over her upper abdomen, one on her back and two on the back of her hands. The Doctor could see they were designed to deliver a small electric shock to the person when struck by their contestant. The Niktorian was also displaying some but the young human had no chance to reach them as she futilely attempted to defend herself.

Clara shook her head in disbelief. "This is sick…" she whispered.

The Doctor concurred. He had never imagined humans playing such brutal games just for people's entertainment.

A buzzer sounded suddenly as the match ended. The Niktorian proudly showed off to the crowed as the fences began to flash a deeper yellow. However, the Doctor's eyes were drawn to the young woman. She looked a wreck! Her once blonde hair was starting to be dyed with rose-red blood leaking from a large cut over her right temple and she was struggling to move as her door opened.

A final buzzer sounded and the crowd soon began to disperse from around the area. The Doctor began to scan the area with his screwdriver while Clara watched as the arena powered down. Her eyes were glued on the young woman who had managed to crawl halfway through her door. As the power died, she gasped when she saw the woman fade away into nothingness.

"Doctor!" she cried without taking her eyes off the area where the woman had been.

"What?" he questioned as he turned around to her.

"She faded away." she told him, "She wasn't real…"

"What do you mean she wasn't real?" he queried.

Clara quickly skimmed her memories in order to compare it to something.

"She looked… holographic." she responded.

The Doctor's head immediately snapped up towards the arena. He visually examined it before scanning it with his screwdriver.

He turned to face her and nodded slightly. "It was…" he confirmed, "The match was being transmitted from somewhere else."

Clara frowned. "Can you find out where from?" she questioned.

He nodded rapidly and was just about to scan the area when another sound emanated from the arena. This time the fences began to flash a deep grape purple and the market immediately became still again.

"Selection commencing." a monotone computerised voice announced.

The Doctor looked around as people in the crowd were suddenly pinched away by some type of transporter beams. The arena beeped five times before the selection ended. Three people seemed to be chosen during each beep. That was at least fifteen people who had just been snatched from their lives.

The Doctor shook his head in disbelief. "This is so wrong…" he whispered.

He then turned around to Clara, or to the place where she should have been. However, there was no sign of her.

"Clara?" he questioned, looking around intensely, "Clara!"

He sighed and felt himself begin to grow angry. He should have expected it really. She was gone, taken away from him… again! There was definitely something in the universe playing an evil trick on him; probably because he made the fatal mistake of saying the universe didn't care about him. Then again, if it did Clara would still be at his side.

"Oh, come on!" he cried before looking up towards the sky, "Seriously?!"


	39. The Luna Playstation

Chapter 39: The Luna Playstation

Clara felt herself hit the rather hard floor as the beam which abducted her deposited her into a white room with no obvious windows or doors. It was pentagonal in shape and the ceiling was so high she actually struggled to see it.

It took a few moments for her head to focus, especially as the light was so bright. She slowly clambered to her feet and began to look around the room for any type of exit.

"Hello?" she called, "Is anyone there?"

She continued to look around as there was no answer.

"Where am I?" she questioned quietly to herself.

Suddenly a computerized voice suddenly sounded throughout the room, the same as the one from the arena back on the market street.

"Initiating scan." it announced.

A moment later, a bright electric-blue beam of light was emitted from the wall and it travelled down her body. It was so bright that she couldn't look at it long enough to pinpoint its source of origin.

"Identification: Unknown." the computer stated, "Re-scanning."

Another beam identical to the first was emitted from the same location as before. Once it had scanned her, it ended abruptly.

"Identification: Clara Oswin Oswald..." it stated.

"Yep, that's me." she concurred.

"Age: 98,033." the computer continued.

Clara laughed slightly. "And looking very good for it." she commented as she brushed her fingers through her hair.

"You have been assigned to Module 3." it continued, "Enter."

Clara frowned as a door suddenly appeared on one of the walls. It opened to reveal a large rectangular room.

"Enter." the computer repeated.

"Alright, I'm going!" Clara snapped before going through the door which closed abruptly behind her.

The room itself consisted of a dozen metal bunk beds on the opposite wall to the door. In the middle of the room were two tables, obviously where the people ate meals, and there was a rounded console in the centre. The rest just consisted of open space. The room itself was white like the room she had beamed into and similarly it had no windows or exits.

In the room there were five people, three were aliens and two were humans. One human was asleep, or unconscious, she wasn't really sure which. The other human and two identical aliens were gathered around the console watching something intensely, clearly praying for something. However, the other alien was sat on the bottom bunk of the bed directly opposite the door she had entered. He was wearing the same type of suit she had seen the Niktorian and the other human wearing during the fight, well, they all were. It was all-in-one suit which cut off at the ankles and elbows. They were all a metallic blue colour and the only difference she noticed was that they hadn't got the pads on like the ones the Niktorian and his opponent had on during the fight.

The three people by the console briefly looked up as she entered the room but returning to watching whatever it was they were watching seconds later. Meanwhile, the other alien stood up and slowly approached her, visually examining her features. He was tall and broad, clearly quite strong. His skin consisted of orange scales and his head had two small humps on top. He smiled weakly at her. To be honest, that's all it looked like he could manage as his scales didn't seem to flex easily. He circled her a few times before stopping in front of her and raising his eyebrow ever so slightly.

"Human?" he question.

Clara nodded. "Yeah." she replied, "You?"

"Tanvolli." he replied.

Clara nodded. "And your name?" she questioned him.

"Tienak." he responded, "And you?"

"Clara." she replied.

"Clara." he repeated before tilting his head and looking down at her, "I've never heard that before."

"Well, I've never 'eard 'Tienak' before so…" she shrugged her shoulders, "…yeah."

Tienak nodded. "Chantax will be here any minute now." he told her.

Right on cue, a door which appeared on the small wall to her right opened and three men entered. Two were carrying weapons and dressed in grey suits, more than likely security guards accompanying the man who they followed. He was a small man, smaller than her and that was saying something. He had noticeable emerald-green eyes and small tusk-like ridges where his eyebrows would have been if he were human. His smile looked false, however that changed when he saw Clara.

"Ahh…" she exclaimed, "She's a pretty one."

"_She's_ gonna slap ya if you keep callin' her 'she'." Clara warned.

Chantax looked rather impressed. "She's a fighter too." he said with a hint of delight, "Ooh; I think I'm going to enjoy this one."

He circled her before looking over at the two security guards.

"I think a Red Match this afternoon." he stated, "See if she can put her money where her mouth is."

"Oh, come on Chantax!" objected Tienak, "She's only just arrived and she's had no time to train. Give her a Green Match. You wouldn't want to seriously hurt your new favourite when it's her first time in the Cage, would you?"

Chantax looked over at Tienak as he considered his statement.

"Yes you're right." he finally agreed, "A Green Match this afternoon for the lovely lady."

He exited as briefly as he entered. Unfortunately, so did the door. Clara then turned to Tienak and smiled weakly.

"Look, I dunno what ya did but thanks." he expressed.

Tienak frowned slightly. "You do know what this is, don't you?" he asked.

Clara shook her head. "Not a clue." she admitted.

Tienak was genuinely surprised. "You've never heard of Kampadoden?" he questioned.

Clara shook her head. "No." she admitted.

Tienak sighed. "It's a good thing it's a green match then." he stated.

x-[]-x

The Doctor was at a loss. He had scanned for Clara's life signs numerous times yet he couldn't find her. Wherever she was, he couldn't detect her. He'd even tried scanning with the TARDIS but even that couldn't find her.

Now he was back in the street and right next to the arena trying to find out more about it. Maybe if he did, it would lead him to Clara. As he was scanning, he noticed the area around the arena was starting to get crowded. That probably meant another match was due to start soon.

A few minutes later, his screwdriver detected a surge of power in the arena and moments later it powered up. As he was at the front, he made no attempt to move for two reasons: one, maybe scanning while a match commenced would help him detect the signals origin and two, if he did move he would probably have been crushed by the masses of people.

As the first bell sounded, the door on the left of the area opened and revealed an average sized male human. He didn't look particularly strong yet he looked as if he could handle himself in a fight. The Doctor could see that he knew what he was doing but did look slightly nervous. Then again, he probably had no idea who was on the other side of the door just like the crowd.

Moments later the second bell sounded and the other door opened. The Doctor watched as a figure came out of the door. He couldn't believe his eyes!

"Clara…" he whispered to himself.

She was dressed in the same metallic suit as the man and the pads were attached to the suit. There was one on her back, the two on the back of her hands and the one on her upper abdomen. However now he could see it closer, it looked more like it was on her chest. That was dangerously close to her heart.

The match started and the clear fences began to flash a bright emerald-green. He heard some of the crowd moan in disappointment.

"Only a green match!" one cried.

"Oh, I wanted him to have her begging him to stop." another moaned.

The Doctor could feel the anger heating up inside him. Clara looked absolutely petrified, she probably didn't even know what to do or what the rules were. He also felt completely helpless. There was no point in trying to get to her in the arena as the entire fight was just a projection.

He watched helplessly as she and the man began to fight. He had to admit that she had the basic skills, she knew how to defend herself and she had managed to deal one blow to the man's shock pad.

During the fight, the Doctor attempted to scan the signal and locate its point of origin. However, there were so many signals that he couldn't work them all out. However he knew one thing, the match was being transmitted to more than one location. There was also probably more than one match being played and transmitted at that time.

The Doctor felt his body jolt slightly as Clara's chest pad was hit for the second time. He could see the pain on her face but she didn't give up. However at that point, the contestant grabbed her by her hair and swung her round in order to hit the pad on her back. As soon as that electrical pulse shot through her body, the klaxon ended the match and the fences began to flash green.

The Doctor breathed a sigh of relief. That was the end of the match. All he had to do now was wait. If he was right, there would be another selection soon and providing he could get back to the TARDIS in time, he'd be able to follow the transporter link and get to Clara.

x-[]-x

Clara was more than relieved to get back to dormitory. Apparently a green match was the easiest one but she hadn't found it that pleasant. It wasn't the fact that she had fought, it was the fact that her contestant had fought quite dirtily. Many times he had kicked her in the hip and then to grab her hair… if you're going to fight, fight properly!

Clara had taken a seat on the bottom bunk on the bed next to Tienak's. He had allocated her that one after the last person had been moved to another module.

"I saw your fight." he told her as he brought her a flask of water, "You've got some good skills. You just need to tone them up."

Clara shook her head. "Fightin' ain't really my thing." she said.

"It is while you're here." stated Tienak, "You need to fight in order to stay on top. Anyway that contestant was dirty, pulling your hair, kicking your hips and taking you out by kicking the back of your knees… Then again, he's always been a dirty fighter."

Clara smiled softly. "I'll keep that in mind." she said much more sarcastically than she had intended.

She just wanted the Doctor to find her. She didn't want to do another fight...

Tienak saw her squirm slightly as she tried to push herself further up the bed.

"Are you in pain?" he questioned.

"It's nothin'." she confirmed, "He just… did me hip in a bit."

Tienak smiled weakly. "I'll see if I can find the regenerator." he promised before heading off to find it.

x-[]-x

The Doctor was watching from the TARDIS via the scanner for when the next selection started. Right on time, the buzzer began to sound and the fences began to flash purple.

He got straight to work and as soon as the first group were beamed away, he managed to attach the TARDIS' flight plan with the beam. It was a bumpy journey and many conduits above his head decided to overload and expel gas and sparks.

"Behave!" he cried.

He watched the scanner as the TARDIS was pulled to the Earth's only natural satellite: the Moon. His eyes widened in amazement when he saw a scan of the structure he was being taken to.

"A Space Station…" he whispered to himself, "_'The Luna Space Station'_… No, not 'Space Station', 'Playstation'… The Luna Playstation."

It was then that he landed the TARDIS and began to run towards the door.

"Right then Clara," he whispered to himself, "Where are you this time?"


	40. Kampadoden (Part I)

Chapter 40: Kampadoden (Part I)

He hadn't even stepped out of the TARDIS when the alarms sounded. He was about to continue anyway but a transporter beam locked onto him, and the TARDIS, and transported them away.

He hit the cold floor of a strange white room rather sharply, almost as if he had been dropped from the ceiling.

"Ow!" he moaned, "Well, that was uncalled for…"

He slowly pushed himself up off the floor and examined his surroundings. It was a pentagonal shaped room and apart from his vibrant blue TARDIS parked adjacent to him, the rest of the room was ghost white.

He slowly turned on his spot and examined the room. There was nothing, no visible doors or windows, not even a visible ceiling.

Suddenly, a computerized voice sounded throughout the chamber.

"Initiating scan." it announced.

The Doctor smiled and held his arms out as a beam of electric-blue light coming from the wall made its way down his body.

"Scan away." he said with a smile.

The beam abruptly ended and it took a few moments before it continued.

"Identification: Unknown." it stated.

The Doctor smirked slightly. He certainly hoped there was no record of him.

"Re-scanning." continued the computer.

It scanned him once again and came to the same conclusion.

"Re-scanning." it repeated for the third time.

The Doctor rolled his eyes and leant back on the TARDIS door as the beam of light scanned him once again.

"This might take a while…" he whispered to himself.

x-[]-x

The Doctor had grown rather fed up of the constant scanning. He had a feeling that the computer of the Playstation wasn't going to accept the fact that he didn't exist 'officially'. He was already on his eleventh scan and the computer's monotone voice was starting to bore him to tears.

He sighed as the eleventh scan ended and he proceeded to whip out his sonic screwdriver. With the click of a button, the computer suddenly seemed to have an adequate replacement of whatever it was it was looking for. Of course he didn't give his real details… well, not all of them.

"Identification: John Smith, known as 'The Doctor'." it stated, "Age: 1206."

The Doctor sighed and smiled slightly. It wasn't that far off…

"Assigned Module has yet to be confirmed." continued the computer, "Please wait."

The Doctor immediately sprung to life and smiled, aiming his screwdriver up towards the origin of the scanner beam.

"Right dear," he began, "I'm looking for a Miss Clara Oswald. What module is she in?"

"Clara Oswald is in Module 3." it reported.

The Doctor's smiled. "Right then, assign me to Module 3." he ordered.

The computer took a while to register his command but after it had it began to beep.

"You have been assigned to Module 3." it explained, "Enter."

A moment later a door appeared in the wall and exposed a large rectangular room. The Doctor gladly went inside and took a look around. The door behind him closed immediately after his entrance but he didn't care. Clara was here somewhere...

The room itself now contained ten people, the Doctor included. A group of five were sat as one of the tables on his left while two others were knelt down next to a bed where a young human lay. However, the Doctor's eyes were drawn to one woman in particular that he was glad to see: Clara. She had just been handed a cup of something by a rather large alien who was now leaving her and going over to the console in the centre of the room.

When Clara's eyes locked onto him, her smile grew. He could see the relief on her face as he dashed over. She didn't have to move to meet him as seconds later he was knelt down in front of her with his arms wrapped tightly around her body.

"Doctor." she whispered happily.

He kissed the side of her head before grasping it firmly in his hands.

"Are you okay?" he questioned, his protective streak beginning to show.

She nodded. "Yeah." she replied, "Where's the TARDIS?"

The Doctor's head spun around towards the direction he had entered from and he sighed. He had completely forgotten that he had left it in the small white room.

"Oh no…" he whispered.

Clara smiled weakly as he turned back to her. "Left it in the beam in room?" she asked.

He nodded and she laughed slightly. "I'm so glad you're 'ere." she confessed, "Although I would 'ave preferred to see the TARDIS too."

"We'll get in there," he promised, "Somehow."

Clara nodded. "Chantax'll be 'ere in a minute." she explained.

He frowned. "Who?" he asked.

Before Clara had the chance to respond, the door on the far small wall opened and Chantax entered along with his two security guards.

"Looks like the boss." whispered the Doctor.

Chantax made his way over to the new contestant and Clara. He immediately looked over at Clara who was at his eye level while she was sat on the bed.

"I must say, your first fight was very disappointing." he said coolly, "However, you are a _very good-looking_ lady, especially for your age."

The Doctor eyes tightened. He could tell that Chantax was trying to wind her up, however she wasn't falling into the trap.

"Oh thank you." she expressed, "I really wish I could say the same but… I'd be lyin'."

Chantax raised his eyebrow before turning and looking up at the Doctor.

"Ahh, you must be John Smith." he recalled, "Very unusual name, sir."

Chantax looked between his two stern-faced security guards before back at the Doctor.

"I think a Red Match…" he said before staring down at his watch-type device strapped on his wrist, "Now. Don't you agree boys?"

"Yes, sir." the two guards replied in unison.

The Doctor's eyes widened and he shook his head. "No way!" he objected, "I'm not fighting."

"I think you are because you're going in the Cage now." said Chantax before looking at the guards, "Take him down."

x-[]-x

The Doctor found himself unwillingly in what Chantax and the rest of the contestants referred to as 'The Cage'. It was an arena identical to the one he saw on the Market Street apart from the fact that it was actually a room. Where the crowds were on the market were just huge white walls.

How it worked was by holo-recorders capturing the images of the contestants fighting and then transmitting them down to the arenas on Earth, and other planets as it turned out. There were ten 'Cages' in the station and each one transmitted fights to the arenas. Each match was probably broadcast to about 20 arenas at once…

The Doctor didn't know the rules to the game known as 'Kampadoden'. He knew that pads sent electrical shocks through the body but that was it.

As he entered the arena, he looked up at the control box where Chantax was stood. He could just about see him over the consoles.

The Doctor still couldn't believe the brutality of this game and to his horror, he was stuck in the middle of it.

His opponent which entered the Cage was a young human male, almost thinner than him and that was saying something. He looked about 21 or 22 and he was carrying a rather nasty black eye.

As the start buzzer sounded, the two of them began to circle the room, both looking at each other.

"You… You won any matches before?" the young lad asked timidly.

"It's my first one." the Doctor informed him.

The lad smiled weakly. "I don't wanna be here." he admitted.

"I take it you didn't volunteer." said the Doctor.

The lad frowned. "No one volunteer's for Kampadoden!" he cried, "You just get chosen. You should know that."

The lights in the arena were now flashing red and a countdown beeping had begun. The Doctor looked around briefly.

"What does that mean?" he questioned.

"We have to start the fight." the young lad replied, "Either that or Chantax will send jolts into all the pads at once… just to 'motivate' us."

The Doctor sighed and coldly glanced up towards Chantax's box. His gaze then returned to the lad.

"Hit me." he told him referring to his frontal pad, "And answer some questions for me, will ya?"

The young lad nodded before punching the Doctor on his frontal pad. The countdown stopped and the Doctor caught his breath before circling the arena once again.

"What is it with the colours?" he enquired, "I've seen three now: Yellow, Green and Red."

The lad nodded. "Each match has a different 'type'…" he explained, "A Green Match ends after a person has suffered 3 major blows to their shock pads, a Yellow Match is similar but it's 6 blows, a Red Match is... until one of the contestants is unconscious."

"What?!" the Doctor screamed as he let the young lad hit his shock pad once again.

The lad nodded. "And a White Match…" he began.

"Don't tell me!" interrupted the Doctor, "Please don't tell me what I think it is… There's only one thing worse than unconsciousness..."

The lad gulped and the Doctor rubbed his forehead. This game seemed to be getting worse and worse.

"Right, hit three times on the frontal pad." he told him, "I'll fake a collapse."

The lad shook his head. "Chantax won't be fooled that easily." he pointed out.

"I can be very convincing." said the Doctor.

The young lad sighed. "Okay…" he agreed.

x-[]-x

When the Doctor's 'unconscious' body was returned to the dormitory, Clara immediately knelt down by his side.

"He'll be okay." Tienak promised.

Clara nodded. "I know." she said as she turned and watched the match officials leave the room before turning back to the Doctor, "Won't ya, Doctor?"

Tienak was amazed when seconds later when the man who had just lost the latest Red Match suddenly sat up and stretched his arms.

"I should think so." he confirmed before scratching the front of his neck, "Gosh, I miss my bowtie."

Clara smiled softly. She had to admit that it was rather strange to see him out of his usual suit and bowtie. It just looked too bizarre seeing him in the metallic blue fight suit.

"You faked it?" asked Tienak who was genuinely surprised.

The Doctor nodded slightly. "I won't tell anyone if you don't." he told him.

Tienak smiled slightly before leaving the two of them alone. The Doctor then looked down at Clara who was clearly lost in thought.

"Hey… what's wrong?" he asked.

She looked up at him and sighed. "Why…" she started, "Why do ya keep comin' back for me?"

The Doctor's frown intensified. "What?" he asked in amazement, "Why… Why would you even ask that?"

Clara bit her lip and looked away. "You could 'ave just gone and found another Clara… why did ya come back for me?" she queried.

The Doctor sighed. "I thought you'd gotten past this." he whispered.

Clara shook her head in disbelief. "'ow can I get past it?!" she cried, "Those few hours when ya weren't 'ere… you could 'ave just gone and found another me... Left me 'ere…"

"And why would I do that?" he questioned.

He couldn't believe how much that information was still hurting her. He now felt twice as bad for bringing her here as she clearly wasn't ready.

"Why wouldn't ya?" she asked as her eyes began to water.

The Doctor sighed. "Because I love you…"

He couldn't believe how easily those words had rolled off his tongue. Not once had he ever managed to say those three words so easily… so strongly.

Clara gulped and looked up at him, their eyes locking.

"You… You've never said that to me before…" she whispered.

The Doctor smiled softly and began to rub the side of her cheek.

"That's because I honestly though you knew…" he confessed in a whisper, desperately trying not to let his voice crackle, "Turns out I should say it more often."

Clara sighed and let the Doctor's touch relax her. She always felt so relaxed when he was with her.

He gripped her around the back of her neck and hugged her, kissing the top of her head.

"I'm sorry…" he apologised, "Clara, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have brought you here…"

The pair of them just sat there for a few moments in complete silence. However it didn't last long.

"Hang on!" cried Tienak, capturing everyone's attention, "Do you hear that?"

The lot of them looked around.

"Hear what?" questioned one of the other aliens.

The next few moments happened rather quickly. One moment, Clara had been knelt next to the Doctor, the next she had been flung across the room by one of the most extreme forced she had ever felt. Alarms were set off instantly and through the chaos of rubble falling and fires starting, she could just about see a large gap where the wall had once been.

Through the midst of the chaos, she saw a group of figures appear and transport away with four of the aliens who had been in the dormitory. Clara knew what was happening immediately, it was a rescue mission. The figures had come to rescue their people confined on the station.

When they had all disappeared, Clara looked over at one of the other aliens who remained. She was feeling Tienak's neck for a pulse as he had taken quite a large brunt of the explosion.

"How is he?" questioned Clara.

The alien shook her head. "He's dead." she confirmed.

Clara felt her heart drop slightly. He may not have been a friend but he had helped her against Chantax, now he was dead…

Clara sighed and turned to the Doctor. She was just about to call his name when she saw his lying limply on the floor.

"No, No, No, No, No…" she cried as she made her way over to his side.

He was still conscious and breathing but she could tell he was in an immense amount of pain.

"Doctor?" she asked.

"Clara…" he breathed.

Clara could feel her eyes watering. "Oh God, I'm sorry…" she apologised, "Doctor, I'm so sorry…"

The Doctor screamed in a whisper as he tried to move. The pain was incredible, unlike nothing he had never felt before. The only good thing was that his regeneration hadn't started meaning that he wasn't dying… well, at least not for now...


	41. Kampadoden (Part II)

Chapter 41: Kampadoden (Part II)

His pain was close to unbearable; however, thankfully it was easing. To Clara's disgust, even though the Doctor had obviously suffered massive injuries, Chantax didn't mind. As long as the Kampadoden games continued, he didn't really care whether the Doctor lived or died.

Literally minutes after the explosion, the three survivors, Clara, an alien named Lula and the Doctor had been whisked away to another identical dormitory. It was the exact same in every respect, the only difference being that it was Module 5, not 3.

The dormitory itself was empty. The room was definitely home to people. Clara assumed six people as six beds had clearly been slept in. However, where the people were was unknown.

Lulu was the alien who had informed Clara that Tienak had died during the explosion. She herself looked almost human, the only obvious difference being three cranial ridges on each of her temples. The ridges themselves looked like white diamantes and complimented her grey eyes wonderfully.

Clara and Lulu failed to leave the Doctor's side. At that moment in time he was unconscious and Clara couldn't express how thankful she was that Lulu was a qualified doctor. Each dormitory was equipped with basic medical kits so Lulu was doing her best to keep the Doctor comfortable. With the regenerator his injuries were slowly healing but it would be days, maybe even weeks, before he would make a full recovery.

Clara didn't even notice the doors open when the contestants entered. Her attention was solely directed on the Doctor. She had to admit that she loved him, she loved him in a way she had never loved anyone before so seeing him in this state killed her inside.

Lulu attached the small metallic regenerator onto the Doctor's hand before standing up.

"Do you want a drink?" she questioned Clara.

Clara shook her head. "No." she responded.

Lulu nodded before walking away. For now, there was nothing else to be done. The best treatment for the Doctor was time.

Unknown to Clara, she and the Doctor had caught the attention of a young woman who was sat at the table behind. She had been at the Playstation for almost six years and not once had she ever recognised anyone before. She didn't know how but she was sure she knew those two people from somewhere…

"Nika?" questioned a large alien to her side.

The young woman looked up. "What?" she asked.

The alien male smiled down at her. He too had been forced to participate in Kampadoden for around five human years now and over that time he had become her friend. To be honest, she was his only friend. All the rest weren't around anymore…

He smiled slightly. "If you want to introduce yourself, why don't ya?" he questioned.

She shook her head and returned to look over at Clara and the Doctor while he sat down at her side.

"I can't explain it…" she admitted, "But I know them somehow."

Her friend raised his eyebrows. "Wow…" he whispered, "This must be the first time I've ever heard you admit you don't know something."

"Oh, shut up!" she cried before smiling.

"I'm right though." he pointed out with a smile.

She sighed before standing up and patting his shoulder.

"Yes Esman, you're right." she concurred before leaving him alone at the table.

He smiled as she slowly approached the two new contestants. He couldn't help but feel slightly sorry for the one lay unconscious on the bed. He looked like he'd been through hell!

Clara was so engrossed in wishing for the Doctor to wake up; she completely failed to notice the young woman make her way over.

"Excuse me, can I help?" she offered.

Clara was about to reply, however her voice caught her attention. She was sure she knew it...

"Oh, surely not…" she whispered before spinning her head around to face her.

Clara shook her head slightly in disbelief when she saw the woman's face. How… how could she be here too?

The woman frowned. "Are you okay?" she questioned.

Clara stood up, her confusion plastered on her face. "'ow the 'ell can ya be 'ere?" she cried.

The woman frowned. "Do you know me?" she questioned.

Clara sighed. "I don't really know…" she admitted.

Clara rubbed her forehead, not breaking eye contact with the young woman. She seriously could believe it… she was identical to the others… she was another Bronwin… She had the same hair, eyes, smile, everything!

"Who are you?" enquired Clara.

The woman smiled softly. "I'm Annika." she replied, "You?"

Clara bit her lip slightly. "Clara." she answered.

Annika sighed. "Is there anything I can help you with?" she queried.

Clara shook her head. She was about to ask her something else when the small door opened and Chantax entered. Obviously, he was accompanied by his two sombre looking security guards.

"Ahh… how's my sweet little lady doing now?" he asked Clara quite patronisingly.

Clara sighed and felt her eyes tighten slightly.

"I really 'ope ya referring to Annika," she told him, "For your sake."

Chantax smiled up at her. "You're all talk." he sneered, "Shame you can't prove yourself in a match."

Annika could see the anger building up on Clara's face.

"Shut your gob Chantax." she snapped, "No wonder you need guards. The way you wind people up, they'd all swing for ya."

Chantax sniggered at Annika before turning back to Clara.

"There's a White Match due the day after tomorrow." he explained, "I'm entering you… See if you prove yourself this time."

Clara sighed. "And what's a White Match?" she questioned.

Annika frowned. How could she now know what it was?

"It doesn't end until one of the competitors are killed." she explained.

Clara's jaw dropped.

"So let's just put it this way…" Chantax said slyly, "You lose and you're dead."

Clara shook her head in disgust, "I am NOT doin' that!" she made clear "Do you understand me?! Never!"

Chantax shrugged his shoulders. "Shame." he answered before looking over at the Doctor, "Looks like he will be instead."

"Don't you dare!" she demanded through her gritted teeth.

Chantax raised his eyebrow. "Will you fight?" he asked.

Clara gulped and looked down at the Doctor lying helplessly on the bed. There was no way he'd be able to defend himself in a Green Match yet alone a White.

"I'll do it." offered Annika.

Both Clara and Chantax looked at her.

"You?" questioned Chantax.

"Yeah." she agreed, "I've been here long enough, never had a White Match. I don't particularly want one but I'll gladly do it for Clara. I mean, she's had no training."

Chantax sighed and shook his head. "I'm afraid you can't." he told her, "I've entered you into a Red Match that day."

"Then change it!" demanded Annika, "Give Clara the Red Match, let me have the White."

"No." he said sternly before looking back at Clara, "It's you or him. Choose."

Clara sighed. "Me." she stated matter-of-factly, "Under one condition."

Chantax decided to humour her. "And what would that be?" he asked.

"You give me ya word that you won't enter him into any matches until he's recovered." she conditioned.

Chantax smiled. "I give you my word." he promised before swiftly evacuating.

Clara sighed and rubbed her forehead. She had no chance; she didn't even know how to fight correctly. In two days, she was going to die… for people's entertainment. That was the thing that sickened her the most. However part of her was happy, at least it wasn't the Doctor.

"I'll train you." Annika told her, "I saw your first match. You're a naturally gifted fighter. If we tone up your skills you'll be able to defend yourself and fight fine."

Clara shook her head. "Two days…" she whispered, "Besides, I can't do it… I can't kill someone…"

"Not even to protect yourself?" she questioned.

Clara rubbed her throbbing temple. "Would you wanna kill someone?" she queried.

Annika shook her head. "No." she confessed, "But if you don't, they're gonna kill you, and if you don't fight, it'll be him."

Clara sighed and looked down at the Doctor. She couldn't let that happen… there's no chance that he'd survive a fight so there was no way she was about to let him get dropped into one.

Clara redirected her attention towards Annika and nodded slightly.

"Teach me." she ordered.

x-[]-x

The Doctor couldn't believe what she had just told him!

"No…!" he breathed, "You're not doing that…"

Clara sighed and gripped his hand. She knew he'd react like that but the only other alternative was for him to be entered into the Match… She couldn't let that happen!

"Doctor, it's either me or you." she pointed out.

"Then let it be me…" he said weakly.

She shook her head. "Doctor, ya can't even stand up." she stated, "'ow ya supposed to defend yourself?"

"I'm not… letting… you do it!" he cried between breaths.

Annika, who had been stood next to Clara but not close enough for the Doctor to see her, sighed. She could understand the Doctor's apprehension about Clara's fight yet she could also understand why Clara was willing to fight. She knew neither of them liked the idea, neither did she, but to be fair, Clara wasn't a bad fighter. She'd only been training her for a few hours yet she knew Clara could certainly handle herself. To be honest, now she knew the rules she'd probably have a good chance of winning.

"Doctor, you don't need to worry." she intervened.

The Doctor turned to the sound of her voice. He was shocked, but not fully surprised when he saw who she was.

"H-How…?" he breathed, "How are you here too…?"

Annika looked between the Doctor and Clara, her confusion quite apparent.

"Do you two know me somehow?" she queried.

The Doctor was about to respond when he felt a surge of pain travel through his chest. He cried out before returning to his original position.

"You alright?" questioned Clara.

He nodded slightly as the pain subsided. "Yeah…" he answered, "But you're still not doing that fight…"

Annika sighed and knelt down next to Clara.

"Doctor…" she began, "It's scary, I get that, but Clara can do this."

"No… I don't want her too." he confessed.

"Doctor," continued Annika, "I know you're worried. I would be too, but Clara can handle herself."

"It's not right…" breathed the Doctor, "It should be me, not her."

"No!" objected Clara, "Doctor ya wouldn't stand a chance. I do."

"I don't want you in that position…" he whispered, "Clara, this isn't just a game. If you lose, you're dead."

Annika sighed. "Doctor, I know how much she means to you… I know what love is when I see it and I can see it in you two." she started, "You need to understand this, you can't change what Chantax has done but you can change the expected outcome. Clara's a good fighter. She's already proved that while training with me."

Clara sighed and gripped his hand once again.

"Doctor please…" she begged, "Let me do this."

"Clara, it's your life…" he reminded her.

"Or it's yours." she told him, "I 'ave a chance, you don't…"

The Doctor sighed. He didn't have the strength to argue no matter how much he wanted to. He weakly gripped her hand before turning to Annika.

"You better train her well." he warned.

x-[]-x

The next morning while Lulu was examined the Doctor, Annika whisked Clara straight into training. Clara easily fought off her attacks, watched by the all of the other contestants.

"Wow." commented Esman when she had finished, "She's even better than you, Nika."

Clara smiled weakly while Annika winked over at her friend.

"That's down to some excellent training," she stated, "And some good natural skills on Clara's part."

Clara smiled softly. "Thanks…" she expressed, "Just don't think I'm prepared to kill someone for this."

Esman smiled weakly. "Consider the alternative." he reminded her, referring to the Doctor.

Clara sighed and looked over at the Doctor before turning back to Esman.

"That's the only thing that keeps me goin'." she admitted.

The rest of that day came and went. Clara had to admit she was nervous, especially as there were only minutes to go before her White Match started. Annika had wished her luck before being taken away for her Red Match so Clara had spent her final few minutes with the Doctor. His recovery was slow but he was getting there.

At that moment in time, all thanks to Lulu's amazing doctoring skills, he was now able to sit up and move around for short periods of time. However, he still got tired rather easily.

"You gonna wish me luck?" she questioned the Doctor.

"I really wish you weren't doing it." he confessed, "I don't care what you say… I wish it were me."

Clara smiled weakly. "I don't wanna do it." she admitted, "But I don't want you to either."

The Doctor sighed and leaned forward to kiss the top of her head. He couldn't deny it. He was petrified that she wasn't going to return alive. However, she was right when she said that she had a greater chance of survival than he did himself.

Moments later, the small door appeared and opened as Chantax entered, displaying a rather large and menacing smile.

"Ready?" he questioned slyly.

Clara bit her lip and turned to face him, the Doctor's hand still firmly interlocked with hers. She nodded over at the little alien before turning back to the Doctor. Her eyes were now beginning to water and the Doctor soon noticed. Then again, so were his... She was about to walk into fatal danger and he was completely powerless to stop it.

Clara smiled weakly before quickly kissing him and heading down to the Cage along with Chantax. It was strange… the last time she had walked to it, she had been nervous but it wasn't that bad. She supposed it was because that time she knew what she was about to do. To be honest, she preferred not knowing…

The Cage was activated and she was ushered inside, completely petrified to see her opponent. If it was that Niktorian, there was no doubt that she wasn't going to be in serious trouble!

Clara took a few deep breaths as she waited for her opponent to enter. She heard the buzzer go off and watched as the door slowly opened. Her jaw hit the ground when she saw exactly who the person was.

She shook her head slightly in disbelief as a lump formed in her throat.

"No…" she whispered in a small state of shock, "Why... Why is it _you_?!"


	42. Kampadoden (Part III)

Chapter 42: Kampadoden (Part III)

Clara's contestant was just as shocked as she was. They both should have known really, they both should have seen it coming… This was definitely Chantax's doing.

The start buzzer sounded and they both began to circle the arena floor.

"Did… Did ya know about this?" questioned Clara.

"No…" her contestant admitted.

Clara shook her head. "I can't kill ya… I can't!" cried Clara.

"You have to." she opponent reminded her, "You've got something to live for… You've got the Doctor!"

Clara frowned. "And you 'aven't?!" cried Clara, "Annika, how old are you? Twenty one? Twenty two?"

Annika smiled softly. "Twenty three." she answered.

"And ya 'aven't got anythin' to live for?!" she questioned, "Is that what ya tellin' me?!"

Annika sighed. "I've been here for six years." she explained, "I'm tired… I'm tired of the fighting. I want it to end… and you want to get back to the Doctor."

"You wanna be killed in the arena?" Clara questioned through her shock.

"Six years is a long time." she pointed out, "If the only way out is through my death, I'll gladly accept it."

Clara shook her head. "I won't be the one to provide it." she informed her.

Annika sighed. "Then I'll be forced to kill you." she pointed out.

At that moment, Annika began the fight by hitting Clara straight in the frontal pad. Clara was forced to the floor but moments later she was back on her feet, immediately on guard.

"We can find another way." reasoned Clara.

Annika shook her head and smiled softly. "This is Kampadoden." she said matter-of-factly, "There is no other way… Now, fight!"

Clara sighed before beginning to fight her. Neither of them actually managed to hit each others pads straight away but then again, it was only the first few minutes.

x-[]-x

The Doctor was sat on his bunk while Lulu was completing his next bout regenerative treatment. He could feel he was slowly recovering as the pain was diminishing into something that he could deal with, something he was more than happy about.

"The match will have started by now." Esman informed him.

"I don't particularly wanna see it." he admitted, "Just tell me who Clara's opponent is."

Esman nodded while the match loaded on the console. While it did, he looked over at the Doctor.

"I've never asked your name." he stated.

The Doctor looked up and smiled weakly.

"The Doctor." he replied, "You're Esman, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah." he replied.

"Anguali?" questioned the Doctor.

Esman frowned. "I've never met a human who know about my species before." he confessed.

The Doctor laughed slightly. "I'm not human." he told him, "That's probably why."

"What are you then?" he enquired.

The Doctor was unsure what to answer, however it wasn't a problem as seconds later the console activated and Esman's attention was drawn to it.

"Dear God…" he whispered.

His change in tone immediately captured the Doctor's attention.

"What is it?" he asked, his concern increasing every second.

Esman looked up at the Doctor and he looked as if he had just seen a ghost.

"It's Annika…" he told him in a whisper.

The Doctor frowned. "What's Annika?" he questioned.

Esman gulped. "Clara's opponent." he informed him.

The Doctor's eyes widened and he quickly made his way over. They were also joined by Lulu and the rest of the contestants in the dorm. The Doctor felt his blood boil. He was under the impression that Annika had been entered into a Red Match, they all were…

"This is Chantax's doing." whispered Lulu who was feeling just as angry.

The Doctor shook his head. "We have to stop them." he stated.

Lulu shrugged her shoulders. "How?" she enquired.

The Doctor sighed. "No idea…" he confessed.

x-[]-x

The Doctor, who was putting his health second, Lulu and Esman had put their plan to escape the dorm and make their way to the storage cupboard in place. The first thing on the agenda was retrieve the Doctor's jacket. As soon as he had his screwdriver, he'd have something to work with.

As expected, Chantax entered the room in order to come and collect two contestants to take them to their next match. Just before the door closed behind him, the Doctor, Esman and Lulu managed to slip through.

They were stood in a dull corridor which was the complete opposite to the snow-white dorms. The corridor led down to the Cages but about half way down the corridor were two doors, both opposite to each other.

"No guards." commented Lulu.

"Obviously." stated the Doctor, "So… where's the storage cupboard?"

Esman pointed to the room on their left. "In there." he informed him.

"Won't it be locked?" asked Lulu.

"I wouldn't have thought so." said the Doctor as they made their way down to it, "They probably don't expect contestants to leave the dorms without Chantax and his _precious _guards."

Lulu and Esman smiled as the Doctor hit the button on the right of the door. Just as expected, the door opened and the three of them swiftly glided inside.

"Right," began Esman, "What are we looking for?"

"Um… a dark brown suede jacket." he replied, "Quite long… and my bowtie if you can find it… I really miss it."

Lulu smiled to herself. He was like a big kid, a kid who had had his favourite toy confiscated.

"I can see why she likes you." she commented, referring to Clara.

The Doctor was about to respond when Esman made his way over carrying a bundle of folded clothing, namely his trousers and shirt, and his beloved bowtie and jacket draped over his arm.

"Is this what you want?" he questioned.

The Doctor's smile grew before he took them off him.

"Brilliant!" he exclaimed, "Ooh, haven't said that in a while… Anyway Esman, check that console over there, will you? See how the match is going."

Esman nodded in agreement before leaving the Doctor and Lulu in the centre of the room.

"What are you doing?" Lulu questioned as he began to try to reach the zip on the back of his suit.

The Doctor laughed slightly. "Getting dressed." he confirmed.

x-[]-x

The girls were about ten minutes into the match and they were both fighting fit. They had both probably hit each other's shock pad's three or four times and apart from feeling tired, they were both perfectly fine.

"You have to kill me." Annika told Clara once again.

"No!" Clara objected.

"Well, do you want to die?" she questioned.

"No not particularly!" Clara admitted before hitting her in the face and then in her frontal shock pad, sending her across the arena floor into the wall.

As soon as Annika got her breath back, she smiled as she put her defences back up.

"The Hardinal Manoeuvre." she whispered, "Dirty way to fight."

Clara smirked. "It worked though." she pointed out.

Meanwhile, Esman had just managed to get the footage of the match playing on the wall monitor. The Doctor, now dressed in his usual attire, stared at the two women for a moment. He couldn't deny that Clara was a skilled fighter but Annika was her opponent. Whoever she was, she was another piece of the puzzle. Somehow, he still didn't know how, but she was connected to him; she was someone who knew him... in her personal future at the very least.

"What do we do?" question Lulu, bringing the Doctor's attention back to reality.

The Doctor sighed and straightened his bowtie for the first time in a while, rather happy as he finally felt like himself again. He then proceeded to retrieve his screwdriver out of his top inner pocket.

"We stop them." he explained.

x-[]-x

In the Cage, Annika was growing rather tired. She deeply regretted training Clara so well; however, she had accepted the fact she was going to die. She knew Clara didn't know that yet, but she did. She knew there was no other way out of Kampadoden and there was no way she was going to kill Clara so there really was no other alternative.

Clara was also growing tired but she could see that Annika was struggling. As she blocked Annika's next hit, she sighed.

"I don't wanna do this…" she admitted.

Annika smiled weakly. "Just do it…" she breathed, "Finish me off… quickly… please."

Clara sighed and as she dropped her guard for a moment, Annika seized the opportunity to smash her directly in her frontal pad. After a brief second catching her breath, she blocked the next hit which used up the majority of Annika's remaining energy. Clara used that opportunity to strike her in her frontal pad three times, one directly after the other.

Annika winced as the electrical pulses ate away at every last piece of energy her body had to offer resulting in her collapsing onto her back. Her breathing was growing heavy and Clara stood at her feet, desperately trying to hold back her tears.

They both knew one more pulse would finish her off and Annika was more than ready. However, Clara wasn't. She couldn't do this… She couldn't kill someone. Maybe if it had been somebody else she may have been able to. However, over the past few days she had grown to like her. Also, she was the woman with five names, the woman who had been the biggest mystery she and the Doctor had encountered. Could she really bring herself to kill her?

Annika looked up and saw Clara battling with her emotions.

"Do you… remember… what I taught you?" she queried through her breaths, "When you have to kill… never… let your opponent suffer… kill them!"

Clara bit her lip and collapsed onto her knees next to Annika's body.

"I can't do this…" she confessed.

"Just do it!" Annika cried weakly, "Just hit my pad… Hit it, then it's all over."

Clara's shaking hands both rested on top of each other above Annika's frontal pad. All she had to do was pull her hands up and hit them back down… that was all.

"I'm sorry…" she told her.

Annika smiled softly. "Don't be." she told her.

It took a few moments before Clara found the strength to raise her hands. She could hear her heart beating in her chest… This was it. She was about to kill her…

The Doctor and Esman were making their way towards the Cage while Lulu was keeping watch. The area itself was clear of guards as they were all in the production offices but the Doctor wasn't prepared to take any chances.

"This one?" he questioned as he reached a door which displayed the words 'Cage Two'.

Esman nodded while the Doctor aimed his screwdriver at the door's lock and activated it. Esman was amazed at how the door began to open. An alarm was immediately activated but the Doctor didn't care.

When the door fully opened, the Doctor saw Clara was seconds away from smacking Annika's frontal shock pad with her fists. That would definitely prove fatal.

"Clara!" he cried before running over and wrapping his hands around her waist in order to pull her away.

Clara, who had been so focused, failed to notice the Doctor's entrance and gasped when she realised what was happening. Esman immediately went over to comfort Annika while the Doctor was firmly holding onto Clara. Her breathing became deeper and she started to feel quite claustrophobic in his arms.

"Get off me!" she cried as she pulled out of the Doctor's grip.

She looked down at Annika who was struggling to cope with her injuries. Her eyes then travelled around to the Doctor and she burst into tears as relief flooded through her.

"Hey…" he soothed as he pulled her back into his arms and began to rub the back of her head.

"I didn't…" she sobbed, "I wasn't…"

"I know. I know." he repeated.

Literally seconds later, Lulu ran into the room.

"Doctor, they're coming!" she cried.

"Oh, let them!" he stated.

Lulu frowned. "Doctor?" he questioned.

The Doctor pulled away from Clara before aiming his screwdriver at the door and activated it. This resulted in the door closing and locking.

Esman and Lulu were amazed, never in their lives had the seen such advanced technology. However, Clara's attention was solely directed on Annika. She looked pale and weak, clearly in a massive amount of pain. Guilt flooded through her body and she immediately collapsed onto her knees, right next to Annika's frail body.

"Oh God… I am so sorry…" she apologised.

Annika smiled softly. "Don't be…" she told her.

Clara sighed. "I told you yhere was another way…" she pointed out, "I just wish it had been in time."

Annika winced as the pain flooded her body. She honestly believed she had seconds left but there was something, something different, something impossible happening inside her body… There was so many voices… so many things were happening as once. Something hidden was suddenly unlocking inside her head…

"I'm sorry…" Clara repeated.

Annika sighed and smiled softly as Clara gripped her hand.

"Everything will be okay." she promised.

"'ow can ya say that?" Clara asked, "You're dyin'…"

Annika's breathing eased as a hot, tingling feeling appeared in her body. She then looked between the four people surrounding her and smiled softly.

"No… I don't think I am…" she admitted.


	43. A Golden Girl

Chapter 43: A Golden Girl

Clara had never been so confused. The woman lying before her was clearly dying, yet she was claiming that she wasn't. In the midst of her confusion, she failed to notice that Annika's hand was growing increasingly hot. However, she noticed moments later as it began to burn her hand.

"Ow!" Clara cried as she pulled her hand away, "You're 'and's hot..."

Annika smiled softly at her before examining her hands. While she did, she slowly sat up, completely amazing Esman and Lulu. The Doctor was also shocked. He had a strong feeling he knew what was happening but that deeply concerned him… It should have been impossible!

Annika noticed the cogs in his mind turning and sighed.

"I take it you understand what's happening." she said softly.

The Doctor shook his head despite the fact he was pretty sure he did.

"Who… Who are you?" he questioned.

Annika shrugged her shoulders and clambered to her feet.

"I don't actually know." she admitted, "But I know how you know me… You met the others."

Esman and Lulu were completely baffled. Moments ago, she was dying in the middle of the arena floor yet here she was, stood up and talking as if nothing had happened to her during the fight.

However, Clara was just as confused as the Doctor was.

"What d'ya mean 'the others'?" she asked her.

Annika laughed slightly. "You know who I mean." she clarified before sighing and tilting her head slightly, "It all makes sense now."

Clara's frowned deepened. "I wish I could say the same…" she admitted.

The Doctor's eyes never left Annika. "What are you?" he queried.

Annika raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You still haven't worked that one out?" she asked.

The Doctor sighed in frustration. "Why does everything have to be a riddle?!" he cried, "Just tell me who you are!"

Annika sighed and shook her head. "I can't…" she admitted, "Besides, in a minute I won't remember."

The Doctor's frown intensified. "What do you mean?" he enquired.

Annika sighed as her body began to burn with an intensity it had burnt at many times before in her past. However, she had never remembered those times as up until that point, her memories had been locked away deep in her mind. All her past was flooding back at the speed of light and unfortunately, she would only remember it for another few precious minutes…

The Doctor's jaw dropped partially when he saw her hands begin to expel a bright, golden energy. He shook his head in disbelief. He knew that energy all too well… it was impossible! How could she be doing that? Who was she?!

"Doctor…?" Clara asked, unable to take her eyes off Annika as the energy intensified, "What's happenin'?"

The Doctor gulped, unable to speak. How could she be like this? Who was she…? What was she?

Annika smiled softly as the vicious burning of the energy focused in her arms, head and chest. The majority of times when she had gone through the process before, it was a minor. However, like that time, there were a couple of times when it had been stronger. Those times were usually when her body had been majorly injured. In those circumstances, she needed to go through a major cycle in order for her body to heal correctly.

She remembered the first time she had gone through it. She had been so scared but that time she gladly accepted it, that time she was overjoyed to feel the fire blazing underneath her skin once again. Seeing her hands burn filled her with joy as she knew she was finally going to be able to leave that life behind. That was the day the fighting was going to end, that was the day when Kampadoden was going to become past tense.

The Doctor managed to pull himself together in order to move Clara out of Annika's way. Although he was still completely shell-shocked about what was happening, protecting Clara was his top priority. He wasn't going to let her get hurt while Annika… regenerated...

At that moment, the door of the Cage opened and Chantax entered along with an armada of security guards. He was about to say something when his eyes fell onto Annika. They widened in horror at the sight of her literally exploding!

"What the hell…?" he whispered.

Annika smiled slyly at Chantax. For the first time in six years, she could actually see he was scared. It felt wonderful for the tables to be turned.

"Kill her!" he ordered, clearly too scared to think of anything else.

The guards all primed their weapons at Annika, ready to shoot in a moments notice.

It was at that point when Annika felt something else happen to her, something new emerged. Her body tensed as the new feeling swept though her already dying body, completely overtaking her already building energy levels.

She shook her head and sniggered at him. "Typical." she spat before raising her hand.

By that movement, all the guards disappeared in flashes of golden light, leaving Chantax completely and utterly alone. For the first time ever, not only did he look scared but he looked as small as he was. Compared to her, he was nothing!

The Doctor was completely gobsmacked. _That _was impossible! There were no living creatures in the universe that could survive with that amount of power!

"What-What did you do?" Chantax asked.

Annika tried not to let her anger towards him get the best of her.

"You are so tiny!" she whispered, "You steal people from their lives and force them to take part in your sick little game. What gives you the right?"

She advanced towards Chantax, backing his against the wall. He could feel the heat emanating off her body but he couldn't run… he was too scared.

"Tell me…" she ordered in a whisper, "How many people have died during the games?"

Chantax began to shake with fear to such an extent that he couldn't think straight.

"I-I don't know…" he began.

"How many?!" she shouted, completely interrupting his initial answer.

Chantax gulped. "The deaths were necessary." he told her.

Annika scoffed and moved away in order to stop herself from seriously hurting him.

"Necessary?!" she screamed before shaking her head and letting the volume of her voice decrease, "No..."

Annika sighed as she felt the energy pulsing through her body grow in intensity. She had minutes before her cycle started.

"I-I can't change it…" Chantax stuttered, "But I promise I'll stop… I promise."

"Yeah, you're right." agreed Annika, "'Cuz you see, I'm about to die, but it's not gonna just be me…"

The Doctor's eyes widened. "Annika, no!" he cried, "You're better than that!"

Annika scoffed. "Oh Doctor, don't be ridiculous. I'm not gonna kill _him_." she promised.

Chantax bit his lip. "You're not?" he asked in a small state of disbelief.

Annika laughed slightly. "Do ya want me too?" she enquired.

"No!" he answered abruptly, "No…"

Annika smiled. "I didn't think so." she said, "Anyway, that'd be the easy way out… but I'll tell you this."

She leant down to Chantax and looked deeply into his eyes.

"Kampadoden ends today." she told him.

"Over my dead body!" he argued.

Annika laughed. "That can be arranged if you wish." she guaranteed him before standing up straight and looking down at him, "If I have to die, I'm gonna die happy knowing that this… _game _dies with me!"

It was at that point when Annika extended her hands out in front of her. She began to clench her right fist and at the moment she released it back into a flat hand, both Lulu and Esman disappeared.

Clara frowned and her jaw dropped. "What-What did ya do?!" she asked.

Annika smiled softly. "I sent them home…" she began, "Along with all the other contestants."

She then turned to the Doctor. "As for you Doctor," she said as she snapped her fingers, "I think you might need this."

Seconds later his beloved TARDIS appear next to them. The Doctor smiled weakly before turning back to Annika. She clearly hadn't finished as she turned back to Chantax.

"As for you, you're going to the Pangari Homeworld." she explained, "I expect that their prisons will be a nice new home for you."

Clara frowned and leant towards the Doctor. "Who are the Pangari?" she questioned.

The Doctor sighed, still not taking his eyes off Annika.

"They're the aliens who broke into Module 3 to rescue those aliens." he explained, "The ones who caused the explosion… There's no doubt they won't lock him up."

Clara shrugged her shoulders. "He deserves it." she concurred.

As soon as Annika had transported Chantax to the Pangari Homeworld, she proceeded to destroy every part of the Kampadoden station. The only thing that remained was the shell of it which they were stood it.

Annika sighed as all her strength had been diminished. She couldn't hold back any longer…

The Doctor noticed her struggling and smiled weakly.

"Let go." he instructed, "You've done it… Now let go."

Annika smiled at his words and nodded before letting the energy encompass her body. Clara watched in amazement as the fiery energy was furiously released from her body.

It ended abruptly but what the Doctor expected actually didn't happen. His jaw dropped when as her regeneration ended, Annika stood there, completely identical to how she was before the process started. She had clearly regenerated yet she didn't change!

"What?!" he cried.

Annika stood there in a daze for a moment, almost as if she couldn't register what was happening. Her hand slowly made its way to her forehead and she rubbed it, almost as if she were trying to sooth a headache. Her eyes caught a glimpse of the Doctor and Clara before her legs gave way and she fell to the floor.

"Annika!" the Doctor exclaimed before he and Clara dashed to her side.

She was a little dopey for a moment, almost as if she had been woken up. The Doctor held her shoulder waiting for to respond.

"Annika?" questioned Clara.

She looked up at the two people crouched down next to her and frowned.

"Who's… Who's Annika?" she questioned.

Clara frowned and looked up at the Doctor before looking back at her.

"You." she stated, "Don't ya remember?"

She shook her head. "My name's not Annika." she told them, "Its Lauren… Who are you?"

The Doctor frowned. "You don't know us?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Should I?" she asked.

The Doctor was completely baffled and Clara could clearly see it.

"Look…" began Lauren as her head cleared, "I'd love to stay and chat but I've got places to be."

She immediately stood up and smiled over at the Doctor and Clara as they rose to their feet.

"Goodbye." Lauren said with a wave and broad smile before disappearing in a flash of golden light.

The Doctor, whose head was spinning slightly, collapsed back onto the blue box. Not only was he totally confused, the mystery about that woman had just spun out of control.

First of all, she had just regenerated like a Time Lord yet she didn't change. Then she completely forget about Annika and meeting him and Clara and thirdly, she displayed the kind of power he thought it was impossible for any living creature to possess…

Clara smiled weakly as he was just stood there, frozen with confusion. Then again, she was as equally confused.

"What… what the 'ell just 'appened?" she enquired.

The Doctor sighed and shook his head. "Not a clue…" he said before turning to face her, "I could do with that coffee from the Smiling Nebula Café. Care to join me?"

Clara laughed slightly. "I hope by 'coffee' you mean a G&T or two."


	44. The Darkness

Chapter 44: The Darkness

It was true what they said, when you didn't want something to happen it did yet when you did want something to happen, it didn't. The Doctor was just discovering this case and he didn't like it all that much.

For the past few months the TARDIS had thrown a number of 'tantrums' whenever it detected the 'Bronwin' woman. He now knew that was due to her being at least part Gallifreyan, however, she was unlike any Gallifreyan he had ever known. Over his lifetime, he had never known one regenerate without changing or not being able to retain their past memories. Whoever or whatever she was, she was something completely unknown to him. Despite still not knowing who she was, his newfound knowledge did help him answer a number of questions, namely about his incomplete regeneration back at the hands of the Harpa-Kazran Alliance. A version of that woman – Megan – had been there and as she possessed the ability to heal a body as complex as his own, he assumed she was the reason he had survived.

However, over the past few weeks the TARDIS hadn't detected her at all. The one time he actually wanted to be pulled off course in order to find her, the TARDIS behaved exactly as it should have.

Nevertheless, the peaceful few weeks were still a pleasant change and it gave him and Clara the chance to enjoy each others company once again. He had taken her to some amazing places, too many to even attempt to name.

She found it so strange. Less than six months beforehand, she lived alone back on Earth. She got up every morning, worked as many jobs she could in order to pay off her student loans, studied, watched television, ate chips as the Doctor put it, went to bed and then began again. Her life had been so repetitive yet it never bothered her. However, after seeing all the things she had seen and living that crazy yet wonderful life with the Doctor, she couldn't imagine living any other way.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Clara asked as she entered the control room.

The Doctor smiled as he looked up at her and shrugged his shoulders.

"You got any requests?" he questioned.

Clara shook her head as she approached him. She was about to say something when she caught a glimpse of his drained face.

"You look tired." she pointed out quietly.

"I couldn't sleep last night." he admitted.

She sighed as she straightened his crooked bowtie. "Let me guess, you were hopin' Annika, or Lauren, or whatever the 'ell her name is, would 'pop up'." she said softly.

He sighed. "I can't help it." he confessed, "I just… I don't understand who she is, and I really don't like not knowing."

Clara smiled weakly. "Just wait." she instructed, "It's all ya can do. Whoever she is, we'll find out about her when it's time, but until that time comes we 'ave to wait."

The Doctor laughed slightly. Her logic was impeccable. Her innocence and knowledge still managed to impress him, even now. She truly was amazing.

"Why are you always… right?" he questioned with a smile.

Clara laughed slightly. "Because I wouldn't be me if I weren't." she responded.

The Doctor had to agree. Without any hesitation, he pulled their lips to one another's and as they kissed, he began to caress the back of her neck. It still amazed him at how the smallest of touches still made his body flood with delight. He wasn't lying when he said it had been a long time since he had felt those certain emotions in the way he did for Clara.

As they both pulled apart, Clara frowned ever so slightly yet her soft smile remained fixed.

"What was that for?" she asked in a whisper.

The Doctor sighed as he rested his forehead against hers.

"Because I wanted too…" he replied, "Do I need any other reason?"

Her smile grew as she closed her eyes and enjoyed her moments in his embrace. She loved the times when he held her. She particularly liked it when they were sat of the sofa where she could rest her head on his chest. For some reason, she didn't know exactly why, but she enjoyed hearing his two hearts beat in his chest. It was like music to her ears and never failed to relax her, sometimes it even helped her sleep. It was like her own personal lullaby.

x-[]-x

They ended up on a quiet beach on a planet Clara had no idea how to pronounce. Even the Doctor, the master of all languages, struggled to pronounce its name. However, the scenery was incredible. The colour scheme was the same as earth, the golden sand and glistening blue water, yet unlike Earth there were three suns beaming down and heating the land below.

Clara had never been one for enjoying brilliantly hot sunshine. Living in Britain was enough to make sunshine as alien as the Doctor himself but she was rather enjoying feeling the sunbeams dancing along her skin.

The Doctor, who was enjoying telling her stories about certain past adventures, was lying back on his jacket which was sprawled out over the sand. Clara, who was lying on her front on a red tartan picnic blanket, listened carefully to every detail. She couldn't help but notice his hesitance to mention any other companions. At first she couldn't understand why but she had a feeling it was because the topic brought back many memories, some which clearly hurt him.

"… Well, it turns out that it was actually a giant wasp." he continued.

Clara scoffed. "What d'ya mean a 'giant wasp'?" she questioned.

"I mean a _wasp_ that's _giant._" he explained with a smile.

Clara laughed slightly before taking a sip of her rosé wine.

"Kinda glad we ain't come across that." she admitted, "I can't stand little wasps let alone _giant _ones."

The Doctor smiled as he began to munch on a square of chocolate.

"So ya actually met Agatha Christie?" she enquired, "As in _the _Agatha Christie?"

The Doctor nodded. "Pretty cool, huh?" he asked with a wink.

Clara laughed softly. "What other historical figures 'ave ya met?" she questioned.

"Um… a fair few." he replied, "Quite a few royals too."

Clara's eyes widened slightly. "Royals?" she repeated, "Who?"

"Well, too many to name over a number of galactic sectors." he began, "And quite a few on Earth, mainly British ones."

"Who?" asked Clara, deeply intrigued by the fact he knew people she had learnt about in History class back in school.

"Well, there was… Henry XII, Queen Victoria, Elizabeth II," he responded, "And then there was Elizabeth X."

Clara's jaw dropped ever so slightly. "Elizabeth the Tenth?" she enquired, "No way…!"

"Yes way!" he confirmed, "Good old Liz."

Clara pushed herself up onto her knees and stretched out her arms. No matter how comfy she was, there was only so much her back could take in that position.

"So 'ow come I've never met any historical figures?" she questioned.

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know really." he confessed, "Why, do you want to?"

Clara grinned. "One day it'd be nice." she expressed.

The Doctor smiled. "Consider it done then." he told her, "Just not today."

Clara smiled and nodded. "Nah, not today." she agreed.

Clara crawled over and slumped down next to him, leaning her head on his chest. The Doctor smiled and brought his arm around her. It was a rare occasion for them to just relax together so they both gladly accepted the opportunity.

x-[]-x

The time passed in the form of general conversations, mostly about bizarre subjects which seemed to pass as quickly as they surfaced. They had probably been there a couple of hours when the Doctor's eardrums picked up a faint yet familiar sound.

He immediately sat up which halted their present conversation.

"What is it?" asked Clara.

"That's the phone…" the Doctor stated.

Clara was amazed. The TARDIS was a good two hundred metres down the beach and any noises that it could have possibly been making should have been drowned out by the sound of the waves crashing on the shore.

The Doctor swiftly rose to his feet and began to head for his ship.

"I'll be back in a minute!" he called as he dashed towards the Blue Box.

Clara smiled as he disappeared inside of it. Even though she had found the day rather enjoyable, she was slightly hoping for an adventure to arise some time soon. Expecting the Doctor to more than likely want to leave as soon as he returned, she began to gather the left over food and half-empty wine bottles into the basket.

As she began to fold the picnic blanket, the sunlight suddenly ceased.

"What the…?" she whispered.

Clara swiftly turned her head and looked in the direction of where the suns had been over the sea. What she saw made her frown deeply. The sky had suddenly been covered by a deep black mist, almost like fog. None of the sunlight could penetrate it and the heat was also blocked. This resulted in a drastic drop in temperature and a strong wind began to blow along the sand.

Clara shivered as the wind whipped around her body. She was slightly concerned as it had happened so quickly. Was it a natural weather pattern on the planet or was it something much more sinister?

Meanwhile, the phone in the TARDIS was still ringing throughout the control room. The Doctor made his way over to the console and answered it.

"Hello?" he asked.

"_The Darkness Doctor," _began a rather sinister voice, _"The Darkness is coming for her!" _

The Doctor immediately tensed up.

"Who is this?" he questioned.

"_Darkness Doctor." _the voice repeated _"The Darkness is coming."_

The Doctor's ear was glued to the phone. Inside his head, his mind was racing to try and interpret all the possible meaning of those two lines.

His thoughts were disrupted when the TARDIS door suddenly burst open and Clara shot inside, clearly shook up over something. She slammed the door behind her and looked up towards the Doctor. He immediately dropped the phone and dashed over to her.

"Clara?" he questioned.

"What the 'ell's goin' out there?!" she cried.

She instantly moved away from the door and went behind him. He cautiously opened the door and peered outside. He watched as the sand was violently blown around in mini twisters and the water battled with itself, reaching incredible heights. The sky was pitch black and the temperate was almost freezing. He gulped before swiftly closing the door.

"No idea." he confessed before running back over to the console, "Let's get out of here to be on the safe side."

Clara couldn't agree more but even though he hit a number of levers, the engines failed to sound and the TARDIS remained put.

"Oh, not now!" the Doctor cried, "Trust me to end up with the only ship in the universe which goes on strike at the worst times possible!"

He continued to hit more buttons and levers but Clara's attention was directed at something above her.

"Doctor…?" she asked.

He looked up at her and saw her gaze firmly fixed on something above the main part of the console. He immediately looked up and frowned in horror. The entire top of the middle section of the console was cracked and the air inside was becoming black.

Suddenly, the main lights in the TARDIS died and the darkness increased down into the console.

"_Darkness!" _the same voice as the one on the phone exclaimed, _"The Darkness is coming!"_

Clara began to shake with fear. She immediately looked towards the Doctor but he wasn't there, he was gone.

"Doctor?" she called.

Her neck snapped back and forth in search of him but he was nowhere to be seen. She was alone.

"Doctor!" she cried.

"_Clara?" a voice called, "Clara!"_

Her eyes immediately shot opened and she gasped as she woke up rather abruptly. The Doctor was there, slowly rubbing her forehead as she mentally registered what was happening.

"Its okay, Its okay." he repeated softly, "It was just a dream…"

It took a moment for her breathing to normalise but once it had, she was more than glad to sit up. The beach looked exactly as it had before, calm and tranquil.

It turns out she had fallen asleep not long cuddling down into the Doctor's arms. However, that dream had felt so real that she hadn't even realised.

It didn't take her and the Doctor long to pack up their stuff and they headed back to the TARDIS. As the Doctor unlocked the door and pushed it open, he turned to face her.

"You sure you're alright?" he questioned.

Clara nodded. "Yeah." she responded, "Nightmare's 'appen."

The Doctor smiled and entered the blue box while carrying his half of the equipment. Just as Clara was about to enter, something caught her eye. She looked around towards the sea and the horizon. She gulped when she saw some dark storm clouds approaching them; it looked vaguely familiar to the mist from her dream.

She sighed before entering the TARDIS and closing the door.

"It was just a dream…" she reminded herself in a whisper, "Just a dream."


	45. Invitation

Chapter 45: Invitation

She hadn't slept well that night, or the night before that or the night before that. Ever since having that nightmare about 'the Darkness', Clara had found sleeping an almost impossible task. She had resorted to sleeping with a light on at night as when she found herself in darkness; she began to panic since that was the time when the voice from her dream returned, a voice which filled her entire body with apprehension.

It was strange. Even as a child she had never been scared of the dark. Then again, she had never had nightmares before meeting the Doctor. For that reason, she wasn't one hundred percent sure that they were actually nightmares. Maybe they were something else…

The Doctor had noticed a change in her since that day at the beach. The main thing he had noticed was that she seemed much more tired than usual. However, she was still her bubbly self so he wasn't too worried.

As she entered the control room that morning, he looked up and saw her trying to hide an oncoming yawn. He smiled softly as she did before she came over and greeted him with her signature smile.

"Mornin'." she stated.

"Morning." he greeted, "Sleep well?"

Clara frowned slightly. "Why d'ya ask?" she queried.

The fact that she completely evaded his question confirmed to him his initial suspicions but he decided to stay well clear of that area.

He shook his head slightly and smiled. "Doesn't matter." he confirmed, "You look like you could do with a coffee."

She laughed slightly. "Yeah." she concurred.

He smiled before pulling down hard on the lever closest to his hand. Clara swiftly grabbed hold of his arm as she lost her balance when the TARDIS began to whisk itself roughly through the Time Vortex.

"Where are we goin'?" she questioned as she regained her balance.

"For that coffee." the Doctor responded.

x-[]-x

They wound up in a café on some sort of space station. According to the Doctor, they were about five and a half galaxies away from Earth. They were sat in a booth drinking that planet's substitute for coffee. Thanks to it, Clara was well and truly awake and had found herself deep in the midst of being teased by the Doctor. However, when she had the chance, he found he wasn't the only one doing all the teasing.

During the course of those few hours, a majority of people came and left the café yet the Doctor and Clara stayed put. It took them a long time before they noticed something different about their table.

It was a basic rectangular table, rose-red in colour yet in the corner there was something new. The new object was small in size, rectangular in shape, a light gold and slightly glittered.

Both Clara and the Doctor's attention turned to it which resulted in a sudden halt in their current conversation.

"What is that?" questioned Clara.

The Doctor considered his reply in his head. It was clear to see what it was. It was quite a common object used on many planets, Earth included. Even Clara could clearly see what it was. It was just the fact that it had appeared so suddenly that they had both been left baffled about why it was there.

The Doctor sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "It's an envelope…" he stated.

The glittered envelope just sat there; face down on the table. They were both sure that there hadn't been anybody who could have had the chance to put it there. Then again, they had both been so caught up teasing each other, that explained why they missed whoever or whatever which made it appear there.

It was Clara who made the first move. She was slightly hesitant as although it looked like a simple envelope, it may not have been. Cautiously, she reached out and picked it up. She closely examined it before flipping it over and reading the fancy ink writing printed on the back of it. The Doctor watched her eyes widen in amazement when she saw who it was addressed to.

"Apparently," she began, "It's for a 'Lord Doctor' and 'Clara, the Duchess of Darchester.'"

The Doctor frowned. "What…?" he questioned.

Clara shrugged her shoulders slightly before beginning to pick at the seal. Meanwhile, the Doctor began to look over the crowd in the café. All the people were just sat and enjoying their beverages while engaging themselves in general chit-chat. Despite that, one thing in particular stood out and caught his attention.

In the corner of the room closest to the door, a figure dressed in a long royal blue cape absolutely still. The only movement was due to the breeze which blew his cape every time the door opened. Although the figure's face was hidden by a hood, the Doctor knew it was looking directly at them.

He had to admit he did feel slightly disturbed but for some reason it didn't bother him as much as it usually would. It was almost as if his subconscious was confirming to him that it was safe, somehow.

The Doctor's attention then turned to Clara who was currently unfolding the parchment from inside the envelope before beginning to read it.

"_Greetings to the Doctor and companion Clara,_

_As you well know, it is my Centenary Jubilee this year Doctor. The Annual Celebratory Ball takes place in four weeks, or knowing you Doctor, in four hours thanks to your ability to time travel. _

_As you managed to stop the Robot King from taking over my monarchy twenty-two years ago, I would be honoured if you would attend the festivities. I can allow up to two extra guests including the two of you, both you Doctor and Miss Clara._

_I hope you do not object to the titles I have given you but as an 'on-the-spot' decision, I believe they were very well-chosen and you will find them acceptable._

_I hope to see you soon, _

_King Iysookas of Viilantia IV._" read Clara.

The Doctor was genuinely surprised after hearing those words and he immediately looked over at the figure in the corner. He nodded towards the figure and smiled, indicating his agreement to attend the Ball. The figure which the Doctor now recognised as one of Viilantia IV's royal messengers nodded and gave him the thumbs up.

Clara quickly looked at the figure that had caught the Doctor's attention before turning back to him.

"Explain." she demanded, "Who's this off and 'ow does he know who I am?"

The Doctor returned his attention back to Clara before shrugging his shoulders.

"Well he's King Iysookas." he replied, "As for how he knows you, no idea. Time Travel's a complicated thing."

"So that… Robot King thing," she started, "Has that 'appened?"

"Oh yeah." he replied with a nod, "Long time ago…"

Clara sighed slightly before letting her smile begin to grow.

"So are we goin' to a ball?" she asked.

The Doctor smirked. "Without a doubt." he confirmed, "We just need to find two more people. Can you think of any we can ask?"

Clara took the last sip of her coffee substitute before placing her cup back onto the table and letting her broad smile beam.

"Tell me, d'ya think Vastra and Jenny would be up to it?" she queried.

"Dunno." he admitted before futilely attempting to stop his smirk from showing, "Shall we go find out?"

Clara nodded. "Yeah." she agreed, "Let's go!"

x-[]-x

It didn't take long for the pair of them to settle the bill in the café. Then again, with the Doctor's screwdriver giving them unlimited credits wherever they went, currency was never hard to come across.

The pair of them ran back to the TARDIS hand in hand, laughing like teenagers. Clara hadn't been so happy for such a long time. She honestly thought she knew what love felt like but never had she felt like that with anybody else. What she felt for the Doctor was definitely unique and completely amazing!

Back in the TARDIS, Clara happily watched the Doctor as he began to pilot his ship. She sat down on the sofa and sighed, letting the chorus of sounds emanating from the console fill her ears. It was amazing how the sounds helped to relax her.

It didn't take long before the Doctor noticed she had dropped off. He smiled at her innocence. She looked miraculously beautiful while she slept; he had always thought she had. He decided for the meantime it would be best to let her sleep. After how tired she had looked earlier that morning, he figured that a few hours sleep wouldn't cause her any harm.

He quietly leant down to the shelf under the console and retrieved the 'emergency' blanket. Ever since she had begun travelling with him, he had left that there just in case, especially as she had a tendency to fall asleep in the control room.

He gentle covered her with the fabric before continuing to work at the console, quietly. For now, he was just going to let her sleep. The invitation wasn't going to go anywhere.


	46. The Centenary Jubilee Ball

Chapter 46: The Centenary Jubilee Ball

Deep in the midst on London in the summer of 1893, you'd hardly expect a lizard woman to live along with her human wife and alien friend. However, there was a person in London at that time who fit that description. Even though her true identity wasn't known by many, everybody in the city knew of her. However, they knew her by another name: The Great Detective.

"… Therefore I conclude the _real_ Georgiana Tonkin never actually arrived in this household. You're impersonating her." the Veiled Detective concluded.

The woman she was accusing, a woman with great posture and full red lips, frowned and looked into the veil which hid the Detective's face. The room consisted of four others, Lord and Lady Pembrokeshire who were the parents of Georgiana Tonkin, the owner of the household, Mister Jensen and the Detective's companion, Jenny.

"I think you are forgetting something Detective." stated Lord Pembrokeshire with his strong Welsh accent, "I know my own daughter and this woman _is _my daughter."

"Quite so." the Veiled Detective agreed as she approached the woman, "But tell me, my Lord, if I remove this item, is she still your daughter?"

At that point, she reached over to a brooch pinned onto the woman's dress.

The woman attempted to move out of her reach. "Don't touch me!" she cried.

However, the Detective's fingers were too fast and within seconds, the broach had been removed. It was a small perception filter and thanks to the Great Detective's knowledge about it, it was soon deactivated.

For the first time in weeks, everyone could clearly see that Georgiana wasn't who she was believed to be.

"You are not Georgiana!" cried the Lord, "Who are you?"

The woman was overcome with annoyance and she shot up out of her seat. The Detective cocked her head to the side slightly and smiled, yet only she and Jenny knew she was doing that.

"'ow the 'ell d'ya know what that thing is?!" she cried, her posh accent suddenly phasing into a deep Cockney, "No human knows of this technology!"

The Veiled Detective shrugged her shoulders slightly. "It's a good thing I was here then." she told her, "Just leave."

"Why should I?" the woman challenged, ripping the veil off the Detective's face.

The rest of the company recoiled in horror when her face was uncovered. They all immediately fled the room, leaving only the 'Georgiana' imposter, Jenny and the Detective known to her wife as 'Vastra'.

"You're… you're a Silurian." she whispered.

"Like I said dear, leave." she repeated, "I'm ever so hungry."

The woman needed no other encouragement and within seconds she transported away using a piece of extra-terrestrial technology.

Vastra sighed and retrieved her veil off the floor before looking back up at Jenny.

"Well dear," she began, "Not a bad day's work."

x-[]-x

The silence in the house was a pleasant change for them. Strax and some of the local hunters who were familiar with his strange appearance were away for a few days on a hunt. This allowed Vastra and Jenny a rare chance to relax and enjoy each other's company.

It had been five months since the Doctor's last visit. Ever since he had stopped the acid rain, the city had come back to life. People stayed out much more often, and as it was now the heart of summer, the community seemed to enjoy their time outdoors. Picnics and street parties seemed to be occurring much more often, not that Vastra ever attended.

Jenny, who had been relaxing in the green room, jumped slightly when she heard a noise emanate throughout the house for a split second.

"Was was that?" Jenny asked.

Vastra looked over at her at her wife and frowned.

"What was what, my dear?" she questioned.

Jenny slowly raised herself to her feet and was on immediate alert. Her attention was directed towards the kitchen and she slowly entered. Vastra immediately rose to her feet and followed. She was extremely disturbed at the fact Jenny had heard something yet she hadn't.

A soft rumbling began to sound from inside the pantry. Vastra started to tense up as Jenny slowly approached the door. If there was trouble of some sort, she didn't intend to let Jenny fall into harm's way.

Suddenly, the door burst open and a very familiar man pounded in. His smile was beaming and an emerald-green light emanated from his beloved screwdriver which led his way.

"Ha! Ha!" he laughed, "Miss me?"

Vastra breathed out a sigh of relief she hadn't realised she had been holding.

"Doctor!" exclaimed Jenny as a broad smile appeared on her face.

Vastra peered over his shoulder and was amazed to see the TARDIS parked literally only a few metres behind him. Considering how quiet the house had been, she was quite shocked that she hadn't heard it materialise.

The Doctor smiled and looked between his two friends.

"Do you two fancy a trip?" he questioned.

Jenny looked towards Vastra before turning back to the Doctor.

"Where ya got in mind?" she asked.

The Doctor smiled. "Well, Clara and I have been invited to a The Celebratory Ball for King Iysookas' Centenary Jubilee. We were wondering if you wished to join us."

Vastra smiled slightly before exchanging glances with her wife.

"I don't believe we have suitable attire." she pointed out.

The Doctor laughed slightly. "The TARDIS' wardrobe if full of 'suitable attire.'"

Clara, who had been watching from the TARDIS door, stuck her head out and smiled softly.

"Please?" she asked.

Vastra laughed slightly and nodded. "We'd be honoured." she replied.

Both Vastra and Jenny began to head towards the TARDIS, both trying to contain their excitement about going somewhere with the Doctor once again.

"Where's Straxy?" asked the Doctor, "I thought he'd be here by now."

As Vastra entered the TARDIS and greeted Clara, Jenny turned to the Doctor.

"'e's 'untin' in the woods." she said, "'e won't be back for days."

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders and began to follow her inside.

"Well, he misses out." he said, "Besides; we wouldn't have been able to bring him anyway."

x-[]-x

The Doctor, who was now dressed in his black and white tuxedo, was waiting patiently for Clara to finish getting ready. Even though she had access to every and any dress possible, she couldn't find any which she found suitable for a royal occasion. After a much heated debate with herself, she finally settled with a one shoulder dress. It wasn't spectacular but it had caught her eye.

The shoulder strap was decorated with diamond-like gems and so was a patch in the opposite side where the silky fabric crossed her hip. The rest of the long dress was plain and a deep TARDIS blue colour. She accessorised with diamond earrings, a diamond necklace and diamond bracelet and before leaving to head to the control room, she retrieved the matching shawl that went with it.

"Come on Clara!" the Doctor cried, "I might have a time machine but I can't wait forever!"

Clara smiled to herself when she heard that as she walked the rest of the corridor. As she entered the control room, the Doctor eyes lit up and his smile was priceless.

"Wow…" he breathed in awe, "You look incredible!"

Clara smiled weakly. "Do you think its good enough for Clara, 'The Duchess of Darchester'?" she queried.

The Doctor was actually left speechless. The way the dress complimented her figure was miraculous and he was certain he was going to be the luckiest man at that Ball that evening.

Jenny smiled. "Ya look amazin'!" she exclaimed.

Clara smiled. "Thanks." she expressed, "So do you."

Jenny laughed as she briefly looked down at her black velvet dress. "Now ya just bein' polite." she pointed out, "I can't really pull off dresses."

Clara smiled and made her way over to the Doctor who couldn't take his eyes off her. It was quickly noticed by Vastra but to be honest, she didn't think anything of it.

It took him a moment to compose himself before he spun around to Vastra and Jenny and rubbed his hands in excitement.

"Well then ladies," he began, "We have a ball to get to."

The Doctor held his arm out to Clara who gladly accepted. Her smile was beaming and she was desperately trying to contain her excitement. Out of all the things she had done, this was definitely something new.

"It feels like prom all over again." she reminisced in delight.

Vastra frowned. "Prom?" she enquired.

Clara quickly looked back at Vastra. "Oh, um…" she started, "It's a dance that school kids go to at the end of Year 11. It's a formal thing. The lads wear tuxes and the girls wear dresses. It's a bit a fun after the exams over before ya leave school."

Vastra shrugged her shoulders. "I've never heard of such a thing." she said, "Oh well, let's go!"

x-[]-x

The four of them found themselves in a grandiose ballroom filled with thousands of people. The majority of them were inhabitants of Viilantia IV but there were a few other species. After entering the room as special VIP's of the King, the four of them were ushered into the VIP section closest to the King's throne where King Iysookas himself was.

The Doctor looked up at him. Although he was at least 150 years old and had been in power for 100 years, he physically only looked like a 40-year-old human. He was greeting and mingling with the guests in the section, laughing jollily almost like Father Christmas.

Clara was actually amazed. If it weren't for the clothing, he wouldn't have looked like a King. To be honest, he looked more like a normal man who just wanted to chat with friends.

"That's the King?" she asked.

"Mm-hm." the Doctor confirmed as the King spotted them and excused himself in order to make his way over to them.

"Doctor!" he exclaimed before shaking his hand, "What an honour to see you again… You haven't changed a bit, well, apart from the suit."

The one thing the Doctor loved the most about the tuxedo was that it still allowed him to wear his precious bowtie which he proceeded to straighten.

The King laughed slightly.

"It's good to see you Sook." the Doctor greeted.

"Nobody's called me that in a long time..." the King confessed before turning to Clara.

He continued by reaching for Clara's hand and kissing the back of it.

"And I take it you are Miss Clara." he greeted.

"Indeed sir." she confirmed.

Iysookas laughed. "Enough with the 'sir', my dear. I may be royalty but I'm not boring." he explained, "Come, enjoy the party."

The four of them proceeded to do just that. At least three hours had past and it reached the time when the music began to get slower and more tranquil. By now the majority of the guests had had much to drink and they were slowly vacating the dance floor and gathering around the tables at the side of it. Many of them used that time to mingle with one another.

Some still remained on the dance floor, slowly swaying to the music. In the midst of it all, Jenny weaved between them and returned back to Vastra with yet another glass of champagne, or something like it at the very least.

"Thank-you, my dear." expressed Vastra as she accepted the glass.

She had never really been into alcoholic beverages but she had found herself enjoying that particular one.

"'ave ya seen the Doctor?" Jenny questioned.

Vastra shook her head. "I can't say I have." she admitted, "He's probably with Miss Clara."

Jenny began to scan the crowd while Vastra took a sip of her champagne. It wasn't long before her eyes found them.

"Yeah he is." Jenny confirmed, causing Vastra to turn and spot the two of them.

Her eyes widened slightly when she saw the two of them together, both embracing each other as they danced.

They looked like a pair of love struck teenagers, dancing and laughing with each other. Their smiles were beaming and they were swaying together, completely lost in the moment.

Both Vastra and Jenny smiled. "Is it me, or do they like each other?" asked Jenny.

They both watched as the Doctor spun Clara under his arm before picking her up and spinning her around. Clara just laughed as he did so, locking her arms around his neck.

"I think you may be right, my dear." Vastra concurred.

Jenny looked up at her wife and smiled before returning her attention back to the Doctor and Clara.

What happened next surprised them both. They saw the Doctor lean in and kiss Clara. It wasn't a quick peck either. It confirmed their initial suspicions and it was clear by the way they were that it wasn't their first time. Despite their shock, both Vastra and Jenny were happy. It was good to see the Doctor so content after everything that had happened.

"I take back my initial statement, dear." began Vastra, "I don't think you _may_ have been right, I think you _are_ right…"


	47. Scared of the Dark

Chapter 47: Scared of the Dark

It was the morning after the night of the ball. It was safe to say that Vastra had what human's classed as a 'hangover'. Finally she remembered exactly why she usually stayed clear of alcohol.

"Morning." the Doctor greeted as she and Jenny entered the control room.

She slumped down on the sofa and rubbed her scaled forehead. Her head was throbbing like hell and every sound seemed to be amplified to such a volume that she honestly thought there were drums beating inside her head.

"Is it?" she questioned groggily.

The Doctor took the hint and turned away slightly but not before smirking over at Jenny. She smiled at him before he turned away and began to make it look as if he was busy. He was still dressed in his tux however the bowtie had been removed to allow the collar to be loosened.

"You got a hangover, Vastra?" he dared to ask after a moment.

Vastra rubbed her eyes and moaned. "Stop enjoying it." she begged, "It's not funny."

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders at Jenny. "It is a little funny." he said which resulted with a smile of agreement off her.

Vastra scowled slightly which the Doctor laughed softly at before dashing around the console only to end up in the exact same spot.

"Right Jenny… second door on the right," he started as he pointed towards the corridor which led out of the control room, "You'll find a little vial with a blue liquid in. Go get it?"

Jenny nodded before exiting the room. Meanwhile Vastra looked over at the Doctor.

"What's that for?" she asked.

The Doctor smiled at her. "It clears hangovers." he informed her.

x-[]-x

In the couple of hours which followed, Clara had joined the three of them in the control room. The Doctor was finally out of his tuxedo and back in his usual suit and most importantly in Vastra's case, the medication had succeeded to clear her handover.

"Well," piped up the Doctor, "Do you think it's time we get Strax?"

It took mere seconds for them all to agree and it didn't take long until he was onboard. After the brief greetings, the Doctor swiftly piloted the TARDIS back into the Time Vortex.

"It's bigger on the inside…" Strax whispered in awe.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. Strax had been inside the TARDIS numerous times but ever since he lost his intelligence, his memory also seemed to suffer.

"Yes Strax." confirmed the Doctor, "Do you remember that?"

Strax looked up at the Doctor and frowned. "Remember what?" he asked.

The Doctor sighed and patted his head. "Never mind." he confirmed as he knew that in the long run, it was quicker just to give up.

Jenny smiled before beginning a conversation with the tiny alien, mostly asking him about the hunt he had just been on. That was one of the things Vastra admired about Jenny, how easily she could keep Strax entertained and when needed, away from her. She knew that deep down she cared for Strax, he just did her head in. That's why Jenny's ability to keep his amused satisfied her deeply.

It wasn't long after when the Doctor noticed that Clara didn't look well. The biggest giveaways were the facts that her smile had disappeared and that she kept massaging her temples. At first he believed it was because she was tired however when he looked again, it looked more like she were in discomfort.

He slowly approached her. "Clara?" he asked softly.

She moaned slightly and looked up at him. He could see that her eyes looked heavy and she did look a little pale.

"Are you okay?" he questioned.

She nodded slightly. "Yeah…" she confirmed weakly, "Just a little tired."

"Did you sleep last night?" he queried, his protective streak starting to surface.

"No, not really." she admitted, "Ya wouldn't mind if I go back to bed for a bit, would ya?"

The Doctor shook his head. "Course not." he confirmed before kissing the top of her head.

Clara smiled weakly at his touch before vacating the control room. He couldn't deny that he wasn't slightly worried but maybe a little rest was all she needed.

Vastra could see the concern painted on his face. She had seen it before but never exactly like that. She slowly walked over to him and leant back on the console next to him. His eyes travelled around to her and he frowned softly as she began to examine his face.

"What?" he asked.

"How long have you two… been together?" she questioned.

The Doctor smiled slightly. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Vastra laughed slightly. "I saw the two of you last night… lost in each other's arms." she said with a smile, "It was nice to see you that happy."

The Doctor nodded and looked down to his feet for a moment.

"Yeah, she's really something." he confessed.

"She makes you happy." stated Vastra.

The Doctor nodded in agreement. "Yeah..." he confirmed, "It's strange. After losing River, I never thought I'd love properly again…"

Vastra nodded slightly. She knew exactly what he meant. He had been so lost after he lost Ponds, even she didn't think he would be able to get over it.

The Doctor looked in the direction that Clara had just headed.

"Is it bad… that I really, _really _wanna marry her?" he asked.

Vastra eyes widen slightly. She was genuinely surprised to hear those words escape the Doctor's lips but she could see he meant it.

"No…" she confirmed, "Why would it be?"

The Doctor sighed. "I dunno…" he admitted with a shrug of his shoulders, "I'm gonna go check on her."

Vastra smiled softly and nodded. "Okay."

x-[]-x

Clara had attempted to lie down on her bed yet the pain in her head made it unbearable to lie in the same position for more than a few seconds. It was a strange feeling. She couldn't even say it was a pain; it was more like a dull ache. Whatever it was, she just wanted it gone.

She had tried everything, sitting down, lying down, standing up, holding her head, everything. Unfortunately, nothing worked. She could feel that she was close to tears, not because it hurt, because it was annoying her.

"Go away…" she pleaded.

Once again she ended up stood in the middle of the floor, gripping the back of her head and begging for the feeling to fade away.

"_Clara…" _a voice whispered.

She snapped her neck around slightly but there was nothing there. Had she just imagined it?

"_Clara…" _it called once again.

She began to shake slightly. Maybe it was just her tiredness creeping in but the sound of that voice scared her to death. It was one she had heard much too often.

"_It's coming Clara…" _it whispered sinisterly, _"The Darkness is coming!"_

"No…" she trailed off, unable to cope with it any longer.

For days that voice had haunted her dreams, twisting and shaping them into nightmares so scary that she actually feared sleeping.

"_Darkness!" _it stated.

"No…" she whispered.

"_Darkness…" _it repeated.

"No!" she cried.

"_Darkness!" _it chanted.

"NO!" she screamed.

It was at that moment when the Doctor reached her open door and saw her sobbing hysterically in the middle of the room. He was immediately worried and at her side within seconds, just it time to catch her as she collapsed onto her knees.

"Clara?" he questioned while grasping the sides of her head.

She gripped his hands tightly and shook her head a little.

"Make it stop…" she begged, "Make it go away…"

The Doctor's newly found frown intensified.

"Make what go away?" he queried.

"The voice…" she sobbed, "God Doctor please… make it go away!"

"Alright, alright, alright…" he soothed before kissing her forehead.

He then proceeded to slowly rub her temples which slowly made the voice fainter in her head and within moments, it was gone. The panic soon faded and all that was left was a very relieved Clara and rather concerned Doctor. Although he knew he had managed to block the voice from her mind, he wasn't sure how long it would last as he had no idea why it was happening to her.

Clara was keen to avoid the inevitable twenty questions which were about to follow and the Doctor knew it. However, he couldn't just let it pass.

He slowly rose to his feet and assisted her off the floor.

"You okay?" he questioned.

She nodded slightly. "Much better, thanks." she admitted.

The Doctor sighed and folded his arms as he leant back onto her dresser.

"What's going on, Clara?" he asked, "What happened? What's the voice?"

She shook her head slightly and shrugged her shoulder.

"I… I don't know." she confessed, "It's one from a nightmare I keep havin'."

"Nightmare?" he queried.

She nodded. "It scares me, Doctor…" she admitted, "I-I mean, I'm scared to sleep at night… I 'ate bein' in the dark… and I 'ate bein' alone… I can't bear it…"

The Doctor felt his hearts break slightly. Dreams were the only thing in the entire universe he couldn't protect her from.

"Come here…" he whispered, extending his arms out to her.

She willingly accepted his tight embrace. They stood there for a few moments while the Doctor repeated kissed her hair. She was his everything and he knew he would do anything for her… anything.

When she pulled away from his chest, she kept her arms wrapped around him as she looked up and deep into his bright eyes.

"I love you." she whispered.

The Doctor smiled softly down at her.

"I love you too." he responded tenderly.

Clara sighed as he kissed the top of her head once again.

"You need some sleep." he pointed out.

She shook her head. "No…" she whispered.

The Doctor nodded. "Yes." he insisted, "Come into my room with me. I'll stay with you… keep the nightmares away."

Clara wanted to object but she knew she had to surrender as she did feel rather tired.

"Promise?" she asked.

The Doctor nodded. "Promise." he pledged.

x-[]-x

Clara had to admit that she was rather glad that the Doctor had insisted she slept for those few hours. That's all it was but she felt much better for it. After days of restless sleep, it was nice to hit the pillow and actually sleep soundly.

The Doctor had stayed with her the entire time just as he had promised. He watched over her and for the majority of the time just stroked her arm to keep her content and relaxed.

Now they were both back in the control room along with Vastra, Jenny and Strax. While the Doctor piloted the TARDIS, or made out that he was, the others were talking between themselves. Now that Clara was better rested than she had been, the Doctor wasn't hesitant to find somewhere to take them all.

"Right!" he exclaimed loud enough to break through and disrupt their present conversation, "Anywhere in particular?"

"London!" stated Strax.

Both Vastra and Jenny frowned and slowly turned to face him in perfect sync.

"London?" Vastra questioned in disbelief, "You have the choice of anywhere in all of time and space, and you choose 'London'?"

"Oh…" realised Strax, "I thought you meant where home was, sir."

The Doctor looked between the others trying not to show his confusion. He then turned and looked down at Strax.

"When did I ever mention 'home', you great big baked potato?!" he queried.

"You didn't." recalled Strax.

"Exactly…!" stated the Doctor.

Clara had to admit she was slightly amused. Strax was easily one of the funniest people she had ever met just because he didn't actually try to be.

The Doctor was about to turn back to Vastra and Jenny when the TARDIS suddenly jolted violently, sending him into the console. Vastra, Jenny and Clara quickly managed to hold onto the bar as the light level fell however, Strax wasn't as lucky. Due to the force that the TARDIS ripped through the Time Vortex, he found himself pinned to the floor while he covered his eyes. For some reason which obviously made sense in his head, he believed covering his eyes would manage to stop whatever was happening. He was truly just like a little child who believed that if they couldn't see what was happening, it would somehow not happen to them.

"Doctor!" Jenny cried over the noise.

"It wasn't me!" he guaranteed as the TARDIS suddenly stabilised.

The three of them regained their balance while Strax remained on the floor. Once Clara had straightened her hair, she made her way over to the Doctor. She glanced at the screen and nodded.

"I should 'ave known really, shouldn't I?" she quizzed the Doctor.

He nodded. "Yeah you should have."


	48. What's In a Name?

Chapter 48: What's In a Name?

"Strax, get up already!" Jenny cried.

Strax cautiously removed his hands from over his eyes and slowly looked around. He was rather glad to see that the TARDIS had stabilised.

"Get up!" Jenny repeated.

Meanwhile, Vastra made her way over to the Doctor and Clara.

"Doctor, I don't understand." she confessed, "What just happened?"

The Doctor sighed. "The TARDIS was pulled out of the Time Vortex." he admitted.

Vastra frowned. "That's not possible…" she stated, "Whatever's done that must be incredibly strong."

The Doctor nodded in agreement. "She's out there somewhere." the Doctor told her.

"Who is?" asked Jenny who, along with Strax, had made her way over to them.

Clara smiled softly. "Dunno what 'er name will be this time." she admitted, "It's always different."

Vastra shook her head slightly. "Okay, I'm lost." she confessed.

"It's hard to explain." the Doctor informed them, "It's better just to go out. Are you coming?"

Jenny looked up at her wife who looked was deeply intrigued. She too was rather excited by the concept. It had been a long time since they had gone on an adventure with the Doctor.

"Absolutely." confirmed Vastra.

The five of them exited the TARDIS into some sort of old, abandoned warehouse. The place itself was bare, the only thing which remained where markers of things which used to exist, maybe a wall here or door there but apart from the outer walls, there was nothing.

"This is weird…" whispered Clara.

The Doctor couldn't agree more. However, he did find some part of the building quite familiar. How, he didn't know.

Vastra smiled as both she and Jenny visually examined their surroundings.

"Oh, I love this bit." Jenny said.

Clara smiled. "Yeah, me too." she admitted, "It's that feeling' ya get."

"Well, at least the Ripper isn't here this time." stated Vastra.

Clara frowned. "The Ripper?" she questioned.

"Ahh…" she realised, "Sorry."

Clara turned to face her as they continued to walk. "Sorry about what?" she interrogated.

Suddenly, blasts from Strax's laser weapon disrupted Vastra's chance to answer, something she was more than happy about. The four of them all jumped and swiftly spun around, only to see his aiming at thin air.

"Strax?" questioned the Doctor.

"Sorry, sir." he apologised, "I thought I heard something…"

The Doctor was about to question him further but his attention fell onto his gun.

"Where'd you get the gun?" he asked before holding his hands up, "Actually, I don't want to know."

The Doctor turned away and began to look around once again. He was positive that he recognised the building. Clara also felt the same. She was sure she had been there before but she couldn't remember when.

"Doctor 'ave we been 'ere before?" she asked after a moment.

The Doctor sighed. "I was about to ask you the same thing." he admitted.

"What, you've been here before?" asked Vastra.

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure…" he confessed.

Seconds later, a loud noise made the five of them jump and immediately turn to face it. Strax was immediately on guard and he forced his way in front of the others.

"Who goes there?!" he queried.

"Strax put the gun down!" ordered the Doctor, "Matter of fact, go put it back in the TARDIS. You don't need it."

Strax strongly objected to the Doctor's suggestion but with the glare coming from the Doctor's face, he decided it would be best to stay clear of an argument with him.

While Strax returned to the TARDIS to put the gun away, Clara's attention turned to a small figure which seemed to be slowly approaching them. As it was so dark, she struggled to make out anything more than the outline but by the posture, she could tell it was a woman.

"Hello?" Clara called.

The other's looked in the direction Clara was looking and soon spotted the figure for themselves.

"Help me…" the figure whispered.

The cry for help gained her the full attention of the four of them and within seconds, the Doctor and Clara were knelt down at her side with Vastra and Jenny standing at her feet looking over her.

Clara sighed slightly when she caught a glimpse of her face. It was her… it was the woman with six names. Clara exchanged a quick glance with the Doctor before looking down at her. Her skin looked quite pale; she wasn't sure whether that was due to her health condition or the fact that the room was so dark. However as she had called for help, she assumed it probably wasn't the latter.

"Hello?" asked Clara.

The woman weakly opened her eyes and smiled.

"It's you…" she breathed when she saw both the Doctor and Clara, "You both came back…"

Clara nodded slightly. "Of course we did." she guaranteed, "Don't we always?"

The woman sighed. "I was… so rude to you last time." she reminisced, "I just left you, and then you were gone."

"Well, we're 'ere now." Clara pointed out.

She desperately wanted to know the woman's name. She had an inkling that she was Lauren as she was the one she seemed to be describing but she wanted to be sure. However, she didn't want to be rude and upset her as she could clearly she that she was dying.

"You're name's Lauren, isn't it?" questioned Clara.

She nodded briefly and smiled. "You remember me." she said softly as she turned to the Doctor.

"Of course we do." the Doctor confirmed as he rubbed her forehead, "You're not someone we can forget easily… What's happening to you?"

Lauren sighed. "I'm dying." she admitted, "Its dangerous play with fire… or radiation in my case."

The Doctor laughed slightly. "Why are you here?" he asked her, "Where is here?"

Lauren sighed. "The remains of the Kampadoden Station." she replied, "I don't know why even came back here... but I'm glad that I found you."

The Doctor sighed. Even though he now knew why he recognised the building, he knew there was nothing to be done except just wait for her cycle to start. Luckily, he knew it wouldn't take long as he spotted her squirm as her fingers started to burn.

"Come on…" he whispered to Clara as Lauren's body began to heat up.

Clara moved away as she understood what was about to happen however, Vastra and Jenny were slightly lost.

"You're not gonna leave 'er, are ya?" asked Jenny in a small state of disbelief.

"Of course not." stated the Doctor, "But I can't help up until she's regenerated."

"Regenerated?!" cried Vastra.

The Doctor nodded. "It's a long story," he professed, "And to be honest, I don't know most of it."

The Doctor turned around just in time to see Lauren's hands begin to burn with the vicious golden regeneration energy. By that point, she was stood up and the room began to be lit up as the energy intensified.

At that moment, Strax exited the TARDIS just in time to see the bright energy intensifying. His eyes widened in horror and he immediately ran over.

"Sir?" he questioned.

"Don't worry Strax." the Doctor stated, "Its okay."

It was at that moment when the energy completely took over Lauren's body and burnt through her cells. As the energy burnt, Clara, Vastra, Jenny and Strax all closed their eyes as the light got too bright. The Doctor managed to watch while holding his hand up in order to block some of the light reaching his eyes.

What he saw confused him deeply. This was because the regeneration didn't look normal. The golden energy burnt through her yet there was something else, a tendril of snow-white energy pulsing throughout it. He was sure that hadn't happened when Annika became Lauren. Maybe this change was going to be different to the others.

The process soon ended and resulted in a drastic drop in light intensity. It took a few seconds before the four others attempted to open their eyes.

The Doctor watched the woman intensely as she rubbed her forehead. Nothing different seemed to have happened as she still looked identical to the others. She began to examine her hands that she proceeded to clench and unclench. That action resulted in a mixture of both golden and while energy radiating away from her.

She looked up at the five people and sighed which released another bundle of energy from her lips. Once that had happened, she smiled at the Doctor.

"Hello." she greeted.

"Hello." he replied.

She giggled slightly and stretched out her arms.

"Full circle…" she whispered.

The Doctor frowned slightly. "What is?" he questioned.

She shook her head slightly. "Sorry, too early." she apologised.

The Doctor raised his eyebrow slightly. "You seem different…" he stated.

She smiled slightly. "Who too?" she asked, "The others?"

The Doctor frowned once again. "How do you know about them?" he quizzed.

She laughed slightly. "Full circle." she repeated, "My memories are fully unlocked now."

Clara looked up at the extremely puzzled Doctor before back at the woman.

"So… ya can remember bein' all the others?" she asked.

The woman nodded. "Yeah." she replied, "You've been so patient with me…"

The Doctor smiled weakly. "Are you gonna make my day by telling me who you are?" he asked.

The woman laughed softly. "Oh, come on Doctor." she said, "The universe isn't that kind."

The Doctor raised his eyebrow slightly. "Are you?" he asked.

She laughed once again. "If I could, I would." she guaranteed, "Oh, who am I kidding? No, I wouldn't. It's no fun then."

Clara smiled softly. "What's you name?" she questioned.

The woman smiled. "Be… Bronwin." she confirmed after a slight hesitation.

Clara's eyes lit up. Finally, they had just witnessed the 'birth' of the first woman that had met all those months ago. However, this was an earlier version of her.

The Doctor smiled. "Bronwin." he repeated, "Excellent name."

Bronwin laughed slightly. "My Dad thought so too." she confessed.

"So, how come you can remember all of a sudden?" quizzed the Doctor, "Why couldn't you remember as the others?"

Bronwin sighed. "I can't say." she informing him, "It has to be lived, not told."

The Doctor sighed. "Who are you?" he questioned.

"Bronwin." she responded, "I swear, that's all I can say… but you will find out very soon now."

Clara scoffed. "What is your definition of 'soon'?" she enquired, "Ya said that last time and we still ain't found out who ya are."

Bronwin smiled softly. "I'm sorry." she apologised, "But you've met the seven versions of me now so it shouldn't be that much longer."

The Doctor suddenly frowned as he processed her last words.

"Seven?" he queried.

Bronwin turned to face him and nodded. "Yeah…" she confirmed, "Why wouldn't it be?"

The Doctor shook his head. "We've only met six versions of you." he stated, "There was… Raine, then Nathalie, Megan…"

"…Annika and Lauren…" contributed Clara.

"… and then you – Bronwin." finished the Doctor.

Bronwin nodded. "And Alaya." she explained, "I know you met her, I was there."

"Alaya?" asked Clara.

The Doctor's eyes widened when it dawned on him.

"Oh my God…" he whispered, "Alaya FD at Bramwell Mine… that was you?"

Bronwin nodded. "Yeah." she confirmed.

The Doctor shook his head. "But the mine blew up…" he recalled, "No-one survived…"

Bronwin sighed. "What do you think caused it to blow up?" she questioned, "It was my first regeneration, and it set the place alight."

The Doctor frowned as he was in complete shock. He had thought about Alaya several times since the incident at the mine but he had never linked it to her…

"I was crushed during the third collapse." she continued to explain, "Then my regeneration started and ignited the entire structure. Obviously I didn't understand what was happening at the time…"

The Doctor was truly amazed. "You certainly are a woman full of mysteries." he stated.

x-[]-x

It was less than ten minutes later when Jenny, Vastra and Strax returned to the TARDIS. Although they didn't know who the woman was, they were almost as confused as the Doctor and Clara were. Obviously, it didn't take much to confuse Strax but the other two were just as baffled. That woman seriously didn't make sense…

The Doctor and Clara said their final goodbye's to Bronwin before she transported away in a flash of golden light.

"That's was... eventful." Clara stated once she disappeared.

The Doctor laughed slightly. "I don't think anyone had ever confused me as much as she does…" he admitted.

Clara looked up and him and pretended to look hurt. "Even me?" she asked, "Don't I confuse you, Doctor?"

He laughed as she put on the 'puppy eyes' look seconds before kissing him. It deepened within moments and soon she found herself leant up against the TARDIS. She sighed as he broke away, slightly wishing he hadn't.

"How long are you gonna stay with me?" he whispered in her ear.

She pulled away slightly and looked up into his eyes.

"Forever." she confirmed.

The Doctor's smile increased in size but a sigh escaped his lips.

"That might be a bit of a problem." he told her.

Clara frowned slightly. "What d'ya mean?" she queried.

"Well," began the Doctor, "If you're gonna stay with me forever… I want you to be _with me_ forever."

A smile pulled on her lips yet she remained slightly confused.

"What do ya mean?" she repeated.

The Doctor smiled and sighed as he looked deep into her eyes.

"Marry me?" he proposed.

Clara's jaw dropped slightly yet slowly formed a smile.

"W-What?" she stuttered.

He smiled down at her. "Clara Oswald, will you marry me?"


	49. The Big Day

Chapter 49: The Big Day

The Doctor glanced at his reflection in the mirror. If he was completely honest, he was very, _very _nervous. No, not just nervous, terrified as that was the day Clara was to become his wife.

The thought of that still flooded him with happiness. The moment Clara had consented to be his wife back in the destroyed Kampadoden station a couple of months beforehand was the moment he knew his life was going to change... forever. It was that moment when she ultimately became the utter most important thing in his life, nothing else mattered any longer. As long as they were together, nothing would faze him again.

He found it strange. When he married River, he hadn't actually planned to do so. When he woke up that morning, he had no idea he would be a married man by the end of the day. However, that time with Clara was different. Yes, he had loved River with all of his hearts, a small part of him still did, but what he felt for Clara was much different. With River it was safe as he knew that it would work out well since it had in her past. However, with Clara it was an unknown for the both of them. That was probably what he loved about it, the unknown.

"Sir!" exclaimed Strax as he burst into the room, "Madame Vastra asked me to… I can't remember…"

Vastra, who had followed in his wake, rolled her eyes as she entered the room.

"I didn't expect you too." she stated.

Strax smiled awkwardly before dashing out of the room. It was then that Vastra turned to the Doctor. He smiled weakly before turning back to the mirror where he adjusted his white bowtie many times as he didn't feel happy with it. The suit he was wearing was midnight black and that emphasised his white shirt and bowtie.

Vastra approached him slightly and looked into his eyes via his reflection in the mirror.

"Nervous?" she queried.

He nodded. "Yeah…" he admitted.

"No second thoughts?" she asked.

The Doctor frowned a little and shook his head. "Absolutely not!" he confirmed, "Just butterflies."

Vastra smiled softly while he continued to fix and re-fix his bowtie.

The wedding that awaited him was something he was certainly classing as a first. Neither he nor Clara knew what to expect as it had been arranged solely by Vastra and Jenny. They had stuck to their requests but all the details were being withheld from them in order to leave it as a surprise. Both the Doctor and Clara didn't want a big showcase wedding so Jenny and Vastra had arranged a private ceremony, literally only the five of them and the Wedding Officiate would be there. The only thing that had been officially confirmed by Vastra was that both Gallifreyan and Human elements had been incorporated into the ceremony to accommodate the both of them. The Doctor was rather glad about that; it would be nice to remember home and celebrate the ways of his people, especially as they all gone.

The Doctor stared blankly into the mirror while he got lost in his own thoughts.

"Doctor?" questioned Vastra.

He slowly regained his focus and looked towards her reflection.

"Sorry…" he apologised softly.

Vastra sighed. "What's going on in that head of yours Doctor?" she queried.

"Nothing…" he confirmed, "It's just…"

"Just what?" Vastra interrogated.

The Doctor sighed before turning around. He leant back on the dresser and refused to look directly at her as his thoughts were racing.

"Am… Am I being selfish?" he questioned.

Vastra's frown became engraved on her scaled face.

"Selfish?" she queried, "How are you being selfish?"

"Do I… have the right to drag her into this life forever?" he questioned, "Why should I make her be stuck with someone like _me_?"

Vastra sighed. She could see how much his thoughts were eating away at him. It wasn't that he didn't love Clara, she knew for a fact that he did. The battle he was having was with himself.

"She loves you Doctor." she reminded him, "And you love her. Don't… talk yourself out of that now."

The Doctor looked up at her, his eyes filled with some type of guilt. She knew he was worrying about possibilities of hurting her in the future but that was just it, they were only possibilities.

"Doctor," she began, "After everything you've done for the universe and the people in it, don't you think you deserve this one? Don't you think you deserve to have your own way for once and be happy?"

The Doctor shook his head. "The universe doesn't make bargains without a cost." he stated.

"It gave you Clara." Vastra pointed out, "Don't lose her because of something as small as this… She's been good for you, and you deserve to be happy."

The Doctor smiled and pushed all his worries aside. She was right, as per usual. That's what he really hated about her sometimes, the fact she was always right.

"So…" he began, "The Ceremony? Do I get to know anymore?"

Vastra raised her eyebrow yet her lips twitched as a smile formed.

"No, you cheeky so-and-so." she objected.

The Doctor laughed. "You've been around Clara and Jenny too long." he pointed out, referring to her use of the term 'so-and-so'.

Vastra smiled before briefly turning to the door where she knew Strax would be waiting outside in the corridor.

"Do you think you could help Strax remember his line for the ceremony?" she questioned.

The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know." he confessed, "I don't know what's happening in the ceremony, remember?"

Vastra rolled her eyes and smiled. "You know he's consenting for you." she said.

The Doctor laughed as he shook his head a little. "He's seriously struggling to remember the line 'I consent and gladly give'?" he questioned.

Vastra nodded. "You know what he's like." she stated, "Besides, it's not that he doesn't know the line… he just gets the last word wrong…"

The Doctor rubbed the side of his face. "Do I even want to know?" he asked.

Vastra chuckled slightly. "Probably not." she answered.

x-[]-x

The time was drawing closer and closer. It wouldn't be long until he would finally find himself tying the knot with Clara.

He had found himself on a beach somewhere in the Nuptia System, slightly ironic as the name 'Nuptia' translated as 'marriage' in some form of ancient Latin back on Earth in Clara's time. The weather was rather pleasant and as he stood with the Wedding Officiate and Strax, he awaited for the arrival of his 'blushing bride'.

The beach itself was the same colour scheme to those found on Earth. The only main difference was that the sand appeared to be glittered, a perfect spot for a special wedding, well, at least in the Doctor's opinion. Vibrant blue waves rolled seamlessly onto the golden shore to create an almost perfect scenery, the only thing missing was Clara.

Finally, after what felt like hours of waiting, the TARDIS door slowly opened and Vastra, Jenny and the bride herself emerged. The Doctor's hearts melted as soon as his eyes met Clara's. Any fears that he may have had suddenly became meaningless and faded away into nothingness. All that was left was an aura of ecstasy; it was safe to say that he hadn't been that content in a long time.

He smiled as she slowly approached. Vastra was right, he did deserve this one; he did deserve to be happy.

His eyes wandered down her dress. It was a simple design, nothing grandiose but it managed to compliment her beauty wonderfully. The plain fabric fit perfectly around her lean figure and to keep with tradition, it was a marvellous but not blinding white.

The Doctor sighed as she took her place next to him. There was nothing that could have taken away the emotions that ran through his body at that moment in time. That moment, that day, it was his day… it was _their_ day.

After both Strax and Vastra had consented for the marriage to take place as there were no parents involved, the Doctor proceeded to wrap a light lemon yellow band around both his and Clara's left hand. It was an Old Gallifreyan tradition which physically showed the 'joining' of the couple. The colour of the band was important back on Gallifrey. The light lemon yellow symbolised the happiness and joy of the couple, but not only that, it also symbolised the trust between the pair. A successful marriage, in any species, couldn't survive without sufficient trust.

In a Gallifreyan ceremony, the 'joining' was one of the most important parts of the ceremony but in both Gallifreyan and Human ceremonies, there was one other thing which was the most important: the vows.

Firstly, it was the Doctor's turn.

He sighed as he looked down at the woman who stood before him. Then he began:

"I… I can't promise that life with me will be safe, so I won't. I can't promise that life with me will always be pleasant, so I won't. What I can promise is that I will protect you with my life, and I will love you with both of my hearts forever.

There will be times when we'll be separated and no matter how much I that wish we won't, I know that the universe isn't that kind. There will be times when you're scared but I need you to know this: I will never leave you. No matter how scared you get, no matter where you are, I'll always find you. I'm never going to leave you, because you're the reason I have a purpose to live.

Before I met you, I really was just a grumpy old man in a box… and I don't know what you did or how you did it, but you brought me back to life. No amount of time we have together will ever be enough… I hope I can be the husband you deserve.

I love you."

Clara felt herself begin to tear up as he came to his conclusion. He was a man who struggled to open up to anyone about anything, yet here he was, admitting his love for her, wearing his hearts on his sleeves, so to speak.

Clara's smile tugged on her lips as he finished. Not even she was sure what she had done to have the hold of his hearts that she did, but whatever it was, she was so glad she had. She had never felt so passionate towards anyone in her life and despite the fact he was an alien, she loved him in a way she never thought possible.

Next it was her turn:

"It's funny… before I met you; I thought I knew what love felt like. I never imagined I could feel like this for somebody… I would do anythin', absolutely anythin' in order to keep you safe. You've turned my life upside-down. You're right when you say life with you can be scary, but in the end, all the good things overpower the bad. I've seen things that others humans can't even begin to imagine, but the thing I love the most is sharing it with you. I wouldn't change one moment of our lives together, and I hope that I can continue to make you happy.

I love you, and I always will…"

The Doctor smiled. "Forever." he whispered.

She nodded slightly. "Forever." she agreed.

Both Vastra and Jenny smiled as the vows ended. They could clearly see that both the Doctor's and Clara's eyes were watering and if they were honest, theirs were too. It was a fantastic moment. To see two people completely smitten with one another that content as their wedding ceremony came to an end was a rather spectacular sight.

"I now officially declare the two of you husband and wife." pronounced the Officiate, "Now to follow with firstly Gallifreyan traditions, Doctor you may complete the joining."

The Doctor smiled and looked down at Clara.

"Close your eyes…" he whispered.

Clara did immediately and sighed as she felt an intense rush of some sort of energy pass through her body. It was a strange feeling but it didn't bother her as she trusted the Doctor unconditionally.

The feeling intensified and it was almost as if it was lifting her feet off the ground. Suddenly, the sounds around her faded and her head became light and fuzzy. She found it quite difficult to explain exactly how it felt.

"Open your eyes…" the Doctor whispered, his voice echoing faintly inside her head.

Clara did as instructed, well, she believed she did. It was almost as if she were lost in a dream. She knew for a fact that her eyes didn't actually physically open yet mentally they did and she found herself somewhere… spectacular.

"What… what is this?" she questioned.

She was mentally stood on some sort of cliff, looking over many fields of shades of gold and bronze. The sky above was a deep rusty orange and due to the sun beaming down on the planet below, the entire landscape glistened with a bright metallic essence.

"This is Gallifrey…" the Doctor answered, not from a specific direction, "How I remember it, at the very least."

"How… how am I seein' this?" Clara queried.

The Doctor suddenly appeared at her side and possessed a rather large smile. He glimpsed at her before looking over the golden mountains which stood before them.

"You're walking among my memories." he explained to her.

Clara smiled. "Is this was the 'joining' consists of?" she asked even though the majority of her attention was directed towards the glorious view of the Doctor's home world.

"Not exactly." admitted the Doctor, "Back on Gallifrey, to complete the joining both Gallifreyan's merged their energies together so they can become 'one', so to speak. However, you're human so I can't do that. Instead, I'm doing this so your mind can adapt slowly."

Clara nodded slightly. "So… this was your world?" she questioned.

The Doctor smiled. "Yeah, this was Gallifrey." he responded, "This was the Lyraglyphic Mountain Range. I used to play here in the fields as a child…"

It was only moments later when the surroundings began to grow fuzzy and at the same time, Clara began to feel a slight tingling feeling in her body.

When she opened her eyes moments later, she found herself back on the beach opposite the Doctor. He also opened his eyes and smiled down at her.

"That's it." he confirmed.

Clara was slightly puzzled and even though it was displayed with a frown, her smile remained fixed.

"What… What just happened?" she asked, "What did ya do?"

The Doctor sighed and slowly rubbed his right cheek. Clara gasped slightly and brought her hand up to hers. She could have sworn he had just caressed _her_ cheek, not his own.

"That's…" she whispered in awe.

"The joining." finished the Doctor, "It won't stay this strong forever, but it'll always be there."

Clara smiled up at him. The Wedding Officiate took this opportunity to finish the ceremony one and for all.

"And to complete with human tradition," he began as he turned to face the Doctor, "You may kiss the bride."

The Doctor smiled and then proceeded to lean down to kiss his new wife. It was at that moment when his hearts began to beat with a force they hadn't beat with in a long time. Finally, Clara was his… _his_Clara…

x-[]-x

It had been what the Doctor classed as one of the best days of his entire existence. Ever since Clara had officially been pronounced as his wife, he had found that he couldn't stop smiling.

He returned to the TARDIS that night, happily humming and dancing as he did. Jenny who was inside the control room just giggled as he began to hit random buttons on the console.

The TARDIS door opened literally seconds later and Clara entered.

"Oi!" she cried, "What d'ya think you're doin'? We 'aven't even had a snog under the starlight yet."

"Clara!" Jenny laughed.

"Hey, it's my wedding!" she objected.

Clara made her way over to the Doctor who raised his eyebrow a little.

"Our wedding." he reminded her.

She laughed slightly and nodded. "Our wedding." she confirmed.

The Doctor and Clara were inches away from each others lips when Vastra entered.

"Ooh, sorry…" she apologised as they had to pull away in order to face her.

The Doctor smiled. "Don't worry." he confirmed as he placed his hand around Clara's waist, "I suppose I better drop you all home?"

Vastra shook her head. "Not tonight." she confirmed, "Tonight's your night… Besides, Strax is busy shooting Tunbi Dwarfs in the arcade so I've booked a room in the hotel for us, give you two a bit of space."

Clara shook her head. "You didn't 'ave to do that." she pointed out, "The TARDIS is big enough for the five of us."

Vastra shook her head. "Like I said, tonight's your night." she repeated before looking over at Jenny, "Come on."

Jenny took the hint and began to exit the TARDIS along with her wife. Vastra said goodnight before exiting the box herself and closing the door behind her.

Clara sighed before looking up at her husband. It was so strange to call him that. It would definitely take some getting used too…

"Would I be right in thinkin' we've got the TARDIS to ourselves tonight?" she asked.

The Doctor grinned and pulled her closer to him. "I believe so…" he whispered.

Clara sighed as he began nibble at her neck which she had no problem with exposing more of to him.

"Are you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" she asked in a rather seductive manor.

Clara felt him smile against her skin. "Well, it is our wedding night…" he prompted.


	50. Watch Us Run

Chapter 50: Watch Us Run

The familiar sound of the TARDIS 'humming' as the Doctor put it, greeted Clara as she awoke that morning. To be fair, it greeted her most mornings but usually there would also be the chorus of the Doctor's footsteps accompanying it, but not that morning…

Clara moved slightly in order to stretch her neck. The night before had been her wedding night at that usually only meant one thing…

"Morning." the Doctor greeted softly from over her shoulder.

She sighed and turned her head slightly but didn't lift her head off the pillow.

"Morning." she replied quite quietly.

The Doctor smiled down at her before kissing her shoulder and leaning his head lightly on her arm.

"You okay?" he questioned.

Clara nodded slightly before attempting to suppress an oncoming yawn.

"You're still tired." he pointed out.

She nodded once again. "Yeah…" she admitted, "I really… wasn't expectin' that last night."

The Doctor smiled before kissing her shoulder once again.

"Is that a good or bad?" he asked.

Clara laughed slightly. She was going to answer but felt a rather sharp pain pulse down her side. She moaned slightly before supporting the area with her hand.

The Doctor was immediately concerned. "You alright?" he questioned.

"Yeah…" she breathed.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" he queried.

She shook her head. "No." she confirmed, "I think I've just been lyin' on it funny…"

The Doctor sighed slightly and assisted her as she rolled onto her back. She couldn't say it inhibited the discomfort completely but it certainly helped.

"Is that better?" he questioned.

She nodded softly. "Mm-hm." she sounded in response.

The Doctor nodded slightly and let himself relax next to her. While she snuggled back down onto the pillow, he began to trace patterns along her bare shoulder-blade, careful to avoid the front of her neck. If he had learnt one thing about her, it was this: She loved it when he kissed her there yet couldn't stand it if anything touched it. Of all the places on her body, the front of her neck was the only place not even he could get away with touching.

Clara sighed and let herself enjoy the feeling of him caressing her skin. Never in her life had anything ever made her feel so relaxed. Whatever it was that the Doctor did to make it feel so spectacular, she was certain nobody else could ever duplicate it.

x-[]-x

The Doctor and Clara met up with Vastra, Jenny and Strax in the hotel restaurant in order to grab some breakfast. Strax was like a child, completely disconnected to the conversation, especially as the majority of his attention was directed to watching the fish swim around in the aquarium tank which was adjacent to the table.

"So, where ya goin' on ya 'oneymoon?" asked Jenny not long after the meal was over.

Clara shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno." she admitted before turning to the Doctor, "Are we havin' one?"

"If you want." he stated, "I've got no idea where to go… but I'll think of something."

"How can you not know where you're going to take your new wife on a honeymoon?" asked Vastra, shaking her head slightly while displaying a rather large smile.

"Well _somebody_ planned my entire wedding and forget to mention to me about planning a honeymoon." he asserted.

Vastra smiled. "Well I must say, whoever planned the wedding was _very_ good." she expressed.

Clara laughed silently while the Doctor raised his eyebrow, attempting to look adamant. However, his smile which was breaking through inhibited him from doing so for much longer.

"Um, no!" he declared, "You're not changing the subject."

Vastra laughed slightly. "It wasn't even my job to remind you." she pointed out.

"Yeah I know that." confirmed the Doctor, "But I need someone to blame."

Suddenly, the entire group of them burst into a fit of laugher, barring Strax. However, they all caught his attention.

"What's so funny?" he questioned.

Jenny sighed and slowly attempted to explain to him, a rather hard task considering he had missed the majority of the conversation. Meanwhile, the Doctor turned to Clara only to see her looking a little off-colour.

He frowned slightly. "You alright?" he queried.

She looked up at him and nodded slightly. "Yeah…" he answered, "It's just a bit warm in 'ere, that's all."

The Doctor nodded slightly before rising to his feet, not taking his eyes off his new wife.

"Well," he began as he aided her out of her chair, "let's get you back to the TARDIS then."

x-[]-x

The Doctor couldn't deny it, he was a little worried about Clara. Although she seemed to be okay now, he couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't in good form. Then again it may have just been that she was tired, they both didn't really get that much sleep the night before.

At that moment in time, Vastra, Jenny and Strax were all talking between themselves while the Doctor began to pilot the TARDIS back to London, 1893.

"So," began Clara who seemed to appear out of nowhere at his side, "Are we goin' on a honeymoon or not?"

The Doctor smiled. "Yeah, if you want." he confirmed, "But I need to drop that noisy lot off home first."

Clara smiled and quickly glanced over at the trio who were all deeply immersed in their present conversation before returning her attention back at the Doctor.

"What about after the honeymoon?" she queired.

"I don't know." he confessed, "I don't plan that far ahead… Me and plans just don't go well together."

Clara laughed slightly.

"Why?" he asked, "Is there something you wanna see or somewhere you wanna go?"

Clara sighed slightly. "D'ya really wanna know?" she questioned.

The Doctor nodded. "Yeah." he responded.

Clara smiled weakly. "I wanna know who Bronwin is…" she admitted, "I wanna go and find 'er."

The Doctor smiled. Even he had to admit he was starting to get restless as he still didn't know. He had a strong feeling she knew who she was but to be honest; the theory he had only created more questions rather than answers…

"Well, we can do that after the honeymoon." he promised.

Clara shook her head. "No…" she whispered.

The Doctor frowned. "What?" he asked.

"Forget the honeymoon." she said, "It's not really us… solvin' mysteries and havin' adventures is though."

The Doctor smiled slightly but shook his head.

"We don't have to sacrifice the honeymoon for it." he pointed out.

Clara shook her head. "This is more us." she told him, "Me and you together, roamin' the stars… running… what could be better than that?"

The Doctor's smile expanded. "Alright then," he started before pulling down on of the levers in front of him, "First stop: London 1893!"

x-[]-x

"Oh, I never thought I'd be glad to be 'ome." admitted Jenny as the TARDIS landed.

Clara smiled as Vastra opened the door to allowed Strax out of the box.

"Oh that's nice!" cried the Doctor, "I don't get a goodbye off him."

"I could call him back." Vastra suggested.

The Doctor shook his head. "Nah, don't bother." he told her, "I'll get back at him next time."

Jenny laughed slightly before turning to him.

"Thanks Doctor, it's been great." she expressed.

"You're very welcome." he explained, "Vastra, 'til the next time."

Clara looked between the two women stood before her.

"We will be seein' ya again, right?" she asked.

Vastra nodded in response. "I should think so." she concurred before turning to the Doctor, "So where are you two off too?"

The Doctor looked down at Clara before back up to her.

"We're gonna go and find out who Bronwin is." he replied, "I've no idea where we're gonna start, but we're gonna go find her."

Jenny smiled. "But ya will be comin' back?" she attempted to clarify.

"Absolutely." he confirmed, "Watch out for us… but for now it's goodbye."

Vastra and Jenny nodded in response before exiting the box and closing the door behind them. It was then that the Doctor whipped off his jacket and began to pilot the TARDIS with Clara at his side. Before he flew the TARDIS back into the Time Vortex, he looked down at her.

"Are you sure about the honeymoon?" he queried.

She nodded eagerly. "We can honeymoon anytime." she pointed, "But I wanna know who she is… now."

The Doctor smiled in agreement. "Well then," he began before hitting the main lever which resulted in the TARDIS shaking as it flew back to the vortex, "Watch us run!"

* * *

**A/N - The second part of this story, 'Watch Us Run', can be found on my profile. Please enjoy x**


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